It’s time for the second iteration of our list of the top trade deadline candidates. Click here for the first one, including an explanation of the approach. Basically, bear in mind that we’re looking at both trade likelihood and trade value (in all its facets).
There’s some movement in the rankings, as you’ll see, with team performance impacting things as much as that of the individual players in many cases. And we’ve bumped the list out from 30 to 50.
On to the rankings:
1. David Robertson, RP, White Sox (LR: 1): Though he had one rough outing since we first gave him the top nod, Robertson has mostly continued to put up zeroes. On the year, Robertson has racked up 35 strikeouts while permitting only 23 baserunners in 24 1/3 innings. Given the Sox’ posture, it’s somewhat hard to see how he won’t be dealt so long as he remains healthy and effective as of the deadline.
2. Zack Cozart, SS, Reds (LR: 3): Though his theoretical value continues to rise with his performance — Cozart has already racked up about three wins above replacement, though he has been on a cold streak of late — the demand picture remains unclear.
3. Yonder Alonso, 1B, Athletics (LR: 4): It’s more of the same for Alonso, too. Since returning from a minor injury in mid-May, he owns a .396/.467/.736 slash over sixty plate appearances.
4 (tie). Jose Quintana, SP, White Sox (LR: 5): The middling results have continued for Quintana, whose 5.30 ERA and rising walk rate are increasingly concerning. If his value doesn’t rebound fully by the deadline, the White Sox could hold onto him and focus on moving other assets. Still, with several contenders seemingly in position to add controllable starters, it seems likely that one or more such arms will end up changing hands.
4 (tie). Sonny Gray, SP, Athletics (LR: 25): The roller coaster ride continues for Gray and the A’s, but it has been more good than bad. His fastball velocity and swinging-strike rate both sit at career-high levels, and ERA estimators feel he has been unlucky to allow 4.44 earned per nine thus far. With the A’s seemingly preparing for a sell-off, and pitchers like Quintana and Gerrit Cole struggling, things are trending toward a possible deal.
6. Pat Neshek, RP, Phillies (LR: 8): It’s hard to imagine Neshek not being traded. He’s pitching as well as he was in his breakout 2014 season and would represent a nice change of pace option in basically any bullpen in baseball.
7. Brad Hand, RP, Padres (LR: 9): San Diego suggested it was willing to move Hand at any time, perhaps believing that an early sale could maximize his value. Unfortunately, a deal has yet to come together and the southpaw has coughed up seven earned runs in his last 10 2/3 innings. That said, he has still managed to record 15 strikeouts against just three walks in that span, so his market should remain strong.
8 (tie). Jed Lowrie, INF, Athletics (LR: 18): Lowrie’s offensive output has only improved since we last checked in. Just as importantly, he’s still healthy. If those things continue, the versatile switch-hitter could be a very nice rental piece for the A’s, who have a replacement lined up in Franklin Barreto and are already beginning a youth movement.
8 (tie). Eduardo Nunez, INF, Giants (LR: NR): The versatile rental player is probably the most likely player to leave San Francisco this summer. He’s not maintaining last year’s power numbers, but is running wild (17 steals) and providing solid all-around production. He could fit with a lot of organizations.
8 (tie). Howie Kendrick, 2B/OF, Phillies (LR: INJ): Despite an approaching 34th birthday, and mid-season DL stint, Kendrick has turned in a resurgent .330/.393/.485 slash this year. His .411 BABIP will surely come back down to earth, though Kendrick has long sustained elevated batting averages on balls in play. His salary isn’t all that cheap, but the Phils will undoubtedly be willing to cover as much of it as is necessary to boost their return. And it doesn’t hurt that Kendrick can be trusted both in left and at second.
11. Todd Frazier (3B) & Melky Cabrera (OF), White Sox (LR: 19 (tie)): The South Siders have now slipped into last place in the AL Central, and these spendy veterans — both of whom will hit the open market at season’s end — are starting to hit. That’s a clear recipe for a trade, though cost savings are more likely than major prospect returns.
13. Marcell Ozuna, OF, Marlins (LR: 14): He’s still raking, and the Marlins are still buried. So why isn’t Ozuna streaking up the chart? With two years of control remaining, and the Marlins working on a franchise sale, it’s not clear how available he’ll be.
14. J.D. Martinez, OF, Tigers (LR: NR): It is perhaps even less clear that Martinez will be available — your guess on how the AL Central will look on July 31st is as good as mine — but he’d arguably be the top available rental piece if he is. Martinez has mashed since returning from the DL and as a bonus has improved his defensive metrics after an ugly 2016.
15. David Phelps, SP/RP, Marlins (LR: NR): Though the 30-year-old doesn’t have the same sparkly ERA he did last year, he’s still humming along with 9.8 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9 through 32 innings and is averaging nearly 95 mph with his four-seamer. With just a $4.6MM salary and another year of control remaining, Phelps should deliver a good bit of value.
16. Ryan Madson, RP, Athletics (LR: 13): The aging veteran keeps performing at a quality rate as the A’s bring up the rear in the AL West, making it seem rather likely that the rest of his contract will be shipped out at the deadline.
17. Jaime Garcia, SP, Braves (LR: NR): The 30-year-old southpaw just missed the first iteration of this list and has turned in some impressive results since. He does have an impressive track record, and his excellent groundball rates help to offset his marginal strikeout rate, but it’d be a surprise if he can maintain his current 3.16 ERA.
18. A.J. Ramos, RP, Marlins (LR: 11): Six straight clean appearances have Ramos looking better, but his 13 walks and 3.92 ERA through 20 2/3 innings on the year have hardly boosted his trade stock.
19. Tony Watson & Juan Nicasio, RP, Pirates (LR: 7, NR): Watson tumbled out of the closer role and down this list. The 32-year-old still looks like a potential target for teams interested in late-inning lefties, given his longer record of success, though his skyrocketing susceptibility to the long ball since the start of 2016 is cause for concern. Before his own hiccups tonight, Nicasio had been off to an outstanding start. It’s anyone’s guess how the Bucs will handle the deadline, but if they were willing to deal Mark Melancon last year, they’ll likely be willing to deal these two pitchers in 2017.
21. Lorenzo Cain (OF), Mike Moustakas (3B) & Eric Hosmer (1B), Royals (LR: 2; 15, 15): Cain is on a sudden hot streak in the power department while Moose and Hoz have turned it on since our first listing. But the group is falling. This is still quite a nice group of chips, but I’m sliding all the KC players down the list for the same reason: the Royals are on the move of late and the AL Central remains tightly packed, making a “hold” scenario seem increasingly plausible.
24. Lucas Duda (1B) & Jay Bruce (OF), Mets: The Mets are in a really funny spot. Unlike some underperforming central-division teams, New York is looking up at a huge divisional gap. And there’s just as much space in the NL wild card hunt. At the same time, the injury picture could begin to look much better and the club may have a hard time explaining even a limited sell-off to fans.
26. Drew Storen, RP, Reds (LR: 30): He’s less than thirty years old, doesn’t cost much, and has been mostly effective despite diminished velocity. Storen isn’t a late-inning option anymore for a first-division team, but could deepen a lot of pens.
27. Sean Doolittle, RP, Athletics; Addison Reed, RP, Mets; Justin Wilson, RP, Tigers; Kelvin Herrera, RP, Royals (LR: INJ, NR, NR, 6): Availability is the overriding question for these high-octane relievers. Doolittle is cheap and controllable, plus his trade value is questionable given his frequent health issues. The others will only be available if their teams fail to make it back into the postseason picture, though there’s a real possibility of that occurring in all cases.
31. Jason Vargas, SP, Royals (LR: 10): As predicted, his earned run average has risen since the first time we did this list … skyrocketing from 2.03 to 2.10. Well then. As with the other KC pieces, the ranking reflects the changing dynamics in the standings.
32. Edinson Volquez, SP, Marlins (LR: NR): The 33-year-old has mostly been solid despite an unsightly walk rate (4.8 per nine) and, yes, he did just throw a no-hitter. His best qualities — durability and velocity — could hold appeal to a contender that desires rotation depth and can envision some creative postseason usage (perhaps piggybacking Volquez with another suboptimal starter). He’s earning a total of $22MM this year and next.
33. Clayton Richard, SP, Padres (LR: NR): The veteran costs nothing and is pitching like a solid back-end starter, so there’s some real function here for the right organization. It’s tough to imagine a huge return for the 33-year-old, but the fact that he’s a lefty with multi-inning ability does also make him a rather useful postseason roster piece.
34. Jeff Samardzija, SP, Giants (LR: NR): Look behind the 4.31 ERA — before tonight’s shellacking at Coors Field — and there are some eye-popping numbers. Entering today’s action Shark was carrying 10.5 K/9 against just 1.3 BB/9. Scouts have always loved him, and he’s showing why in 2017 even if the results still haven’t always been there. The 32-year-old is owed $18MM annually through 2020, which is hardly an all-time bargain but does seem like less than he’d likely command if he re-entered the market after the year. It’s worth bearing in mind that Samardzija can block deals to all but eight (currently unknown) teams, though, and it’s not entirely clear the Giants will be looking to move him with the club looking forward to several possible rotation openings next year.
35. Johnny Cueto, SP, Giants (LR: NR): Somewhat like his rotation-mate, the 31-year-old is lagging in the ERA department(4.57) but is in normal levels in most areas. That said, his velo is down a smidge and he’s suffering from a rising home-run rate (1.66 per nine with 18.4% HR/FB) and diving groundball rate (39.6%). If those normalize, he’ll look much like the top-line hurler he usually is. Still, his trade situation — and value — is greatly complicated by the opt-out clause in his contract. If he pitches well and stays healthy through the end of the year, Cueto will almost surely leave via free agency. If not, he could hang a $87MM obligation on another organization.
36. Joakim Soria, RP, Royals (LR: 12): Though he has yet to give up a home run this year,and has 35 strikeouts in his first 27 innings, the veteran righty owns a 3.67 ERA after a few rough outings.
37. Andrew McCutchen (OF) & Gerrit Cole (SP), Pirates (LR: 24, NR): Since his OPS cratered at .630 in mid-May, Cutch has driven his season’s batting line all the way back up to .255/.331/.456. That’s still more consistent with his down 2016 season than his outstanding prior results, but it’s a clear uptick. As for the staff ace, it’s hard to see Cole being dealt for anything other than a haul, though it’s equally difficult to imagine a contender paying top dollar if he isn’t pitching his best — which, so far, he has not. Generally, though, while the Pirates have clawed back toward competitiveness in an underwhelming NL Central, that doesn’t mean the Bucs won’t consider a deal.
39. Yangervis Solarte, INF, Padres (LR: NR): He’s playing better of late after an ugly start. The affordable contract and some versatility increase the appeal here. Then again, given that the Padres only just extended him, perhaps the club will prefer to keep him around unless there’s a really worthwhile offer.
40. Bud Norris, RP, Angels (LR: NR): Relievers are the easiest and most obvious pieces to move at the deadline. Norris has never been better since moving into the closer’s role, creating a circumstance where the Halos might be able to add something to a still-shallow farm system without drastically altering their MLB roster — particularly given the presence of some viable alternative closers in the organization.
41. Jarrod Dyson, OF, Mariners (LR: NR): Dyson is a speed demon whose value is greatest in a late-season/postseason scenario, when teams don’t need utility infielders and middle relievers so much as they do players who can impact the game in the field and on the bases in high-leverage situations. As with Norris, then, he’s among the more likely players to be dealt from the rosters of the three teams currently hovering around .500 in the AL West. None of those clubs is likely to catch the Astros, but all could compete for the wild card; for now, at least, only Norris and Dyson are likely and valuable enough trade pieces to make it into the top fifty.
42. Matt Kemp & Nick Markakis, OF, Braves (LR: 27 (tie)): Neither figures to have immense appeal — Kemp is dinged up and remains a defensive question mark, while Markakis is just a league-average hitter — and the Braves may just hold pat.
44. Daniel Nava, OF, Phillies (LR: NR): Nava carries an intriguing .310/.422/.464 batting line with lots of walks (14.6% BB rate) and few strikeouts (17.6% K rate) through 102 plate appearances. While the upside is limited, he could hold some interest as a bench bat and it’s pretty easy to imagine him changing hands.
45. Brandon Phillips, 2B, Braves (LR: NR): If you assume that his .342 BABIP will come back to earth, Phillips looks like much the same player — slightly below-average hitter but otherwise a solid veteran — he has been in recent years. The soon-to-be-36-year-old could hold appeal as a platoon or bench piece with the right team. With Jace Peterson and Ozzie Albies waiting at Triple-A, the Braves may end up preferring to move on from Phillips, whose salary is being paid almost entirely by the Reds.
46. Kurt Suzuki, C, Braves (LR: NR): While Tyler Flowers is the one with the eye-opening stat line, that seems to make it more likely that Atlanta will hold onto him and pick up his 2018 option. The respected but limited Suzuki could be an easy option if a contender needs to fill a gap behind the dish.
47. Derek Holland, SP, White Sox (LR: 29): Holland has allowed just one earned run in three of his last five starts. In the other two, though, he was tagged for a total of 14.
48. Alex Cobb, SP, Rays (LR: 22): Tampa Bay is still firmly in contention, and the team has now lost a key rotation piece in Matt Andriese. Even if those facts remain the same in late July, there’s a chance Cobb will be marketed.
49. Raisel Iglesias, RP, Reds (LR: NR): There’s no particular reason for the Reds to push to trade Iglesias, but surely they have at least thought about what they’d need to part with a high-quality player who is also a reliever with added injury risk.
50. Hunter Strickland, RP, Giants (LR: NR): The high-powered, hot-tempered righty hasn’t exactly been at his best, with nearly double last year’s walk rate even as his ERA sits at an excellent 2.08, but his power arsenal would surely hold appeal. And if he has worn out his welcome a bit through the Bryce Harper beaning incident, then perhaps the Giants will see fit to move him.
Falling Out
Anthony Swarzak, RP, White Sox (LR: 17): Since his fantastic first month and a half, Swarzak has come back to earth in terms of peripherals and results.
Ian Kennedy, SP, Royals (LR: 21): Beyond the general Royals assessment noted above, a few rough outings reduce the likelihood that Kennedy will opt out of his deal — or hold sufficient appeal to contenders to move the remainder of that contract. (At the exact moment this post is going up, though, he’s through five perfect innings in his current start.)
Jeremy Hellickson, SP, Phillies (LR: 23): Those iffy peripherals we warned about last time? They are still problematic. And now it’s showing in the results. In his last five starts, Hellickson carries a 7.57 ERA with 14 strikeouts and 14 walks.
David Freese, 3B, Pirates (LR: 26): The overall results remain solid for the reliable veteran. But the Bucs may be inclined to hold him even if they do end up selling. The market includes several other options and Pittsburgh will value the ability to retain Freese at a palatable rate for 2018.
Injured
Nate Jones (White Sox), Trevor Cahill (Padres), Bartolo Colon (Braves), Neil Walker (Mets), Cesar Hernandez (Phillies), Darren O’Day & Zach Britton (Orioles)
Also Considered
Angels: Yunel Escobar, Cameron Maybin, J.C. Ramirez, Jesse Chavez, Ricky Nolasco, Yusmeiro Petit, David Hernandez
Athletics: Stephen Vogt, Rajai Davis, Matt Joyce, Santiago Casilla, John Axford
Blue Jays: Jose Bautista, Justin Smoak, Josh Donaldson, Marco Estrada, J.A. Happ, Francisco Liriano, Roberto Osuna, Aaron Loup, Joe Smith
Braves: Kurt Suzuki, Jim Johnson, Arodys Vizcaino, R.A. Dickey, Bartolo Colon, Julio Teheran, Matt Adams
Cardinals: Lance Lynn, Michael Wacha, Seung-hwan Oh, Trevor Rosenthal
Giants: Aaron Hill, Nick Hundley, Hunter Pence, Matt Cain, Mark Melancon, Denard Span, George Kontos
Mariners: Nelson Cruz, Carlos Ruiz, Marc Rzepczynski, Steve Cishek
Marlins: Dan Straily, Kyle Barraclough, Tom Koehler, Adam Conley, Brad Ziegler, Christian Yelich, Giancarlo Stanton
Mets: Curtis Granderson, Jerry Blevins, Fernando Salas, Josh Edgin
Orioles: Welington Castillo, J.J. Hardy, Manny Machado, Seth Smith, Hyun Soo Kim, Wade Miley, Brad Brach, Mychal Givens
Padres: Jhoulys Chacin, Ryan Buchter, Brandon Maurer, Craig Stammen
Phillies: Freddy Galvis, Michael Saunders, Joaquin Benoit, Hector Neris
Pirates: Josh Harrison, Ivan Nova, Wade LeBlanc
Rangers: Yu Darvish, Jonathan Lucroy, Mike Napoli, Carlos Gomez, Adrian Beltre, Andrew Cashner, Tyson Ross, Jeremy Jeffress
Rays: Chris Archer, Jake Odorizzi, Corey Dickerson, Logan Morrison, Alex Colome, Erasmo Ramirez, Danny Farquhar
Reds: Scott Feldman, Raisel Iglesias, Billy Hamilton
Royals: Alcides Escobar, Brandon Moss, Jason Hammel, Mike Minor
White Sox: Miguel Gonzalez, Tommy Kahnle, Jose Abreu
would love to do a top 50 trade contest,like with the FA contest
That would be cool
I’d like to see the White Sox trade Kahnle if the market for a top end relief pitcher is right. The Sox can hold onto Quintana if he continues to pitch mediocrely, and try to trade him again next year.
I suppose the only players the Sox really have to move are Derek Holland, Robertson, and Swarzak.
The players the White Sox would need to move this summer are their veterans on expiring contracts such as Todd Frazier, Melky Cabrera and Derek Holland. They would like to move David Robertson and Jose Quintana but don’t necessarily have to by the non-waiver trade deadline.
Most every White Sox player on their current 25-man active roster would be available for trade in the right deal with the exception of core SS Tim Anderson and perhaps RF Avisail Garcia. It would be difficult to identify any other player on that list who might be on the club come 2019 or 2020 unless they decide to hang on to Jose Abreu and “Q” for the duration of their contracts. The remainder of their likely roster come 2019 or 2020 are either on the disabled list (Carlos Rodon) in the minors or yet to be acquired.
Kahnle is not really avail… 3 year of arbitration left, not enough track record to bring in the value of what he has shown and how cheap they have him for 3 years if he’s really this guy.
And if you watch him throw and look at periphs…. he could be a classic great arm who figured it out… as a small sample 500G guy with 3 years of arb.. you hold him.
Unless of course if some teams pro personnel vouch for him to be worth a top prospect… but they won’t..
Probable return vs what he’s shown they could have for cheap does’t make it worth it.
Heck, the AL is so mediocre right, you could trade Robertson and Fraizer, slide Kahnle and Davidson into their slot with Rodon and Shields and actually contend for a WC spot. if no one takes Melky.
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Which of course is the ultimate indictment of Robin Ventura.
Sure, Kahnle might have some future value to the White Sox but he would hardly be considered a core piece like Tim Anderson or Carlos Rodon. Non-closing relievers seldom arm and the White Sox might just have the top group of power arm prospects in all of MLB, some of whom may stick as starters while others may eventually land in the bullpen.
Kahnle may have an opportunity to close for the White Sox if David Robertson is dealt this summer, especially with lingering injury questions surrounding Nate Jones and the recent struggles of top closing prospect Zack Burdi at AAA Charlotte. This could also add to his value as a future trade chip for the White Sox come the offseason or next summer. But if some MLB teams values Kahnle enough right now as a late inning setup man, or perhaps as an added piece to an expanded deal that might net the White Sox a better prospect, Rick Hahn won’t hesitate to pull the trigger on a deal for him.
The 3 years of arbitration control that Kahnle possesses shouldn’t be a hinderance for the White Sox trading him, not with the greater control and opportunity they would like to afford prospects such as Burdi as they continue their rebuild.
I wondered why Kahnle wasn’t included in the top 50. It seems like the no name relievers do just as well or better than big name relievers-and cost less–in mid season trades.
Would one bad contract and a few fringe prospects (teams 20-30 rated prospects) for Johnny Cueto be worth trading for of you were San Fran?
Example: Perhaps the Yanks deal Elsbury and Mason Williams, Domingo German, plus Jake Cave (2 avg outfield prospects and a good arm) for Cueto?
That makes absolutely zero sense for them. At the very least Cueto should be treated as a rental and should get a bit less than the price deal a couple years ago.
They can’t treat Cueto as a rental because they don’t know that he’s a rental. It’s totally up to him if he opts out and the acquiring team won’t know if he’s opting out until after they make the trade.
If Cueto doesn’t opt out, I think the Giants would prefer to keep him and have him hold down a rotation spot.
They can certainly avoid trading Torres Rutherford and Frazier in a deal for Cueto, but unlikely that they wouldn’t need to include a combination of Mateo, Adams or Sheffield. Andujar would have appeal too. I do not see them taking on bad contract for the OF considering they want to see Slater and are converting Shaw to the OF from 1B.
Pederson, Puig, Top 100 Minor leaguer for Gray & Madson/Doolittle
I feel like the A’s don’t want Puig, otherwise I’d think he would have come back in the Hill/Reddick deal. A’s really need outfielders though, particularly ones that field well.
Jank from the padres
I agree,and Verdugo would be a good start when talking to the Dodgers
no thanks on Puig,but something else could be worked out
Year after year the A’s have top notch talent they sell off. Why is that? They’re rebuilding to go no where it seems, much like braves and rays?…not enough payroll flexibility I guess?!?!
The A’s are pretty old and their minors look pretty strong. I think they will come on pretty quickly with the team taking shape beginning next season.
I think Yonder Alonzo will be traded away. He is not young and a free agent after the season.
They have a showman as a GM who never actually wins yet people claim is a wiz.
I wouldn’t call Frost a wiz,but there are worse GM’s out there
The A’s will never go anywhere as long as Billy Beane is calling the shots. They are run with a mentality that baseball is won on paper, instead of on the field. They make moves that make tons of sense according to charts and graphs, but don’t mesh on the field and make them a winner. 20 years and zero wins post-division series. They’re only sustained run of winning seasons was fueled entirely by drafting and developing three front-line starting pitchers.
Under Billy Beane the A’s won more games from 2000-2010 than all but three teams. Yeah, they didn’t win a world series, but the playoffs are a different world. And yes, drafting and developing players is the way a small-market team has to win.
The A’s have basically the worst stadium in baseball with no real way to move out of it. The owners have tried to soak the taxpayers for a new venue but so far they aren’t biting. They are in a fairly large market but the limitations of the stadium are really hurting them.
Ozuna, Bour, Straily, Ramos, Phelps, Volquez, Prado, Wittgren, Barraclough, Ziegler, Dee Gordon should all be traded, in my opinion, as a Marlins fan. That’s a decent start
For real. Why do people think anyone wants to trade for Jeff Samardzija? The Giants outbid everyone else for him a year and a half ago and since then the results say that the other teams made a good call in not offering him all that money. You can hoot and holler about his stuff and peripherals all you want but Samardzija has been a full time starter since 2012 and has largely underperformed his peripherals every year except 2014. If he is traded it will be for a reliever in A-ball with the Giants eating some of his contract.
Matthew call the Red Sox the samardzija for fat panda (with cash of course)Henry Owens and a low grade prospect it give the Sox a number 5 something they need badly and it gets that load off 3rd not that the giants have a need for him but they seem to get the best out of him
If it gets Red Sox fans and beat writers stop pushing Sandoval to the Padres I’m all for it.
ROFL……For the last three years, virtually every trade thread will have some BoSox fan proposing a deal with Panda. WHY ON EARTH WOULD ANY OTHER TEAM WANT THIS GUY???? The best Boston could hope for is a Hamilton deal where the Sox eat 90% of his contract AND agree to take another veteran with a bad contract.
He can’t pitch in the AL. Plain and simple.
And Sandoval can’t stay away from the Krispy Kreme so I would rather have Samardzija and he’s a pitcher something they need bad
Samardzija has really good peripherals this year – a career high K rate and a career low walk rate. His start last night in Coors was brutal, but he’s a fly-ball pitcher and those things happen. The BABIP against him is around 350, and that’s in some part due to his terrible outfield defense. Samardzija is also a very durable pitcher with less wear on his arm than most pitchers his age. There is true value in a league-average starter, and if the Giants want to trade him they’ll find a partner. Teams like Boston or the Yankees would love to have a guy like him, that they could pencil into the rotation every fifth day.
No they will not!!!!!!!!!!! The Sox and Yankees had the opportunity to pay Samardzija all that money two offseasons and they said no. Based on what he’s done since then they aren’t going to change their minds, especially if the Giants want prospects in return. And if Samardzija is already homer prone in AT&T Park that problem will only get worse in Fenway or Yankee Stadium.
There was an article recently saying the Red Sox were scouting the Royals Mike Minor. Looking at his numbers I wouldn’t be surprised to see him as a big trade deadline target.
Honestly I hadn’t looked closely but … velo and swinging strikes are way up. Definitely a guy to keep an eye on.
The more KC hues toward .500, though, the more I’m disinclined to think they’ll sell in that division.
This was my only complaint, how Mike Minor was missing from the list, and how he could be overlooked with the comeback season he is having…Although, he was listed as an afterthought…
Either way you look at Minor’s season though, he is doing an excellent job for the Royals. I mean yes, obviously, he has his previous injury concerns, BUT he is in a new role now as a more than capable lefty coming out of the pen.
He may not be able to work on back to back nights too often, but for the playoffs, that doesn’t matter. Advanced metrics and basic stats all paint a beautiful picture of sustainable success for Minor, and in his new role, he could be a dominant force come October.
Minor is blessed with the ability to get both LHH and RHH out, and with his versatile array of pitches, he would be extremely tough to get a handle on only seeing him maybe 3-4 times in a series.
I’ll go ahead and say it, if Minor is acquired by a playoff team, he very well could be an outcome altering acquisition…Book it
Unless I am mistaken, not a single Oriole on that list.
They probably should be sellers, but I don’t know if Duquette knows that
Because the division and WC are still in reach, and given their history, I didn’t quite get there for any Orioles players. That could change, of course.
I’d like the “Marlins keep losing” part explained a little more. Pretty sure they’ve won 15 of their last 22 games.
If you want to say they dug too deep a hole, go right ahead. But let’s not make it sound like the team isn’t playing well.
Yeah that was obviously poorly worded. I edited.
As a fan, the writing is on the wall though. May was so terrible, it pretty much ended the season. The NL West teams have such a big lead. Marlins still need 2 SPs, and have zero way of doing that. They aren’t going to keep Ozuna. The farm system has some nice talent at the lower levels, but they’re all injured, and there is absolutely nothing on AA or AAA. Time to trade a few pieces, and try to retool quickly around Yelich, Stanton, and Realmuto
Not hard to explain the sell off to this Mets fan. Trade them alllllll away. Bruce, Duda, Blevins, Reed- package them together to get better prospects.
What better prospects would they bring?
Bruce and Duda would get good prospects in previous years but this year contending teams are not in demand for power hitting RF and/or 1B especially when there are better options at both positions. It still might be worth the Mets to pursue a trade since they probably don’t plan to resign either. Even if the return isn’t much
A Reed/Blevins package may get you something decent especially to a team like Washington who needs more than just one reliever and may not want to give up everything it would take to get someone like Robertson. Those guys would do well on a team that doesn’t overuse them the way Terry does
Still no mention of Tommy Joseph. They have to give Hoskins an opportunity at some point.
I just don’t really see him as a player that would be strongly pursued by other orgs or who the Phils would be anxious to move. If they really strongly preferred Hoskins to Joseph, they could find a taker, but I don’t see much reason to believe the Phillies or any other teams are all that excited about either player. Phils probably prefer to hold onto both and let the situation play out for now.
“It’s hard to imagine Neshek not being traded.”
Last summer that read: “It’s hard to imagine Hellickson not being traded.”
Yet here he is, making $17 million and now absolutely worthless as a trade commodity.
Hector Neris was worth a Brinks truck worth of gold at the deadline last year. Not even a rumor. Now he’s worth what, Panda’s used iPad?
Phillies Rebuild: Felony Fraud
Kemp to the Angels would make sense. They could put him at first base. They need a middle of the line up bat.
As much as I’d love the Braves to find a way to move Kemp (although I like him in the lineup), I just don’t think it is likely that the Angels would seek to acquire Kemp to move him to firstbase. Kemp lacks experience at first and unless I’m badly mistaken I believe that the Angels are close to the luxury tax as well.
Doesn’t seem like a good logical fit to me.
There has been a lot of Kemp bashing the last few years in this forum. The fact is, the guy is a helluva power hitter who drives in runs. He has a big contract. More power to him. He could be on his way to another 30-100 season. Yes, he’s not going to win a gold glove. He’s not going to the hall of fame. But he fills a need for teams. Kemp is NOT a reason for the Braves poor season so far.
exactly he’s not a superstar but he dose his job of being a big bat well
Nobody is putting Kemp at 1B and the Braves are not moving him. Braves are gonna surprise people and be buyers at the deadline but buying controllable assets for a run next year.
Could see them making a run at Gray or Quintana.
Braves may be both sellers and buyers at the deadline. Kemp is untradeable if the Braves want a valuable prospect back. Even if they paid the balance of his contract, unless it’s to an AL team in need of a DH, Kemp is not worth much because of his league worst defense. As his luck runs out, that BABIP is 70-80 points higher today than it will be at season’s end, then his great batting run will die with it. A line of .270/.300 with 30 HR, which is where Kemp will finish the season, doesn’t mean much when you are the worst defensive OF in baseball.
fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=of&stats=fld&lg=all&qual=y&type=1&season=2017&month=0&season1=2015&ind=0&team=0&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&sort=24,a
Either look at AL teams in desperate need of a DH who can also play OF in a pinch, or forget trading him without eating all of what is left of his contract.
Idk about all of his contract but yeah, I honestly don’t know where Braves fans are getting this idea that they’ll be able to trade Kemp without eating any of his contract and get back something of actual value in return.
DBacks should definitely look into trading for Neshek at the deadline. I wouldn’t think he’d cost too much in the way of prospects which is great for a team with a weak farm system in AZ
Still early to talk about this but should the Mets struggles continue, why not look to trade anyone with an expiring contract. Next year looks to be pretty set with their lineup minus a couple holes that won’t be figured out until the off season (if they get figured out at all). They won’t need Duda, walker, granny, Bruce (although keeping him wouldn’t be terrible either), even Cabrera isn’t needed, and then the bullpen sucks one year and is great the next so I don’t have attachments to any of them. Get anything u can for any of them, maybe one prospect will amount to something. That’s more than letting them fall off into free agency for nothing.
The Mets are figuring out how to take residence at the bottom of the division and when. The Mets decent is always timed to take place as the Phillies rise.
Open up two browser tabs at Baseball-prospectus, one for the Mets Franchise History and the other for the Phillies.
50 years of history tells you what’s coming. The past is prologue.
I don’t think it’s too early- the injuries won’t stop piling up and they can’t hit and pitch in the same game. I say trade them for any sort of prospect they can get.
Nobody from the Cubs? Don’t you think it’s time to consider getting rid of Schwarber while he has some value left? Send him to an AL team since he has 0 defensive ability at all.
please, get rid of watson. he’s more suited for set up. as for Cole, once he becomes a FA , hell sign somewhere in california. I still say the bucs will eventually Trade cutch, but are they going to ask for a kings ransom?
If they actually want to move him, then no, they will not as for a kings ransom. He’s on pace to be a slightly above average player with minimal team control left.
it IS doubtful the Braves could find a team to pick up most of Kemp’s contract and give Atlanta prospects. SO WHY TRADE HIM AT ALL? He’s been productive and is a guy who is still young enough to be driving in a lot of runs for the next couple years.