MLBTR Originals

Knocking Down The Door: Weaver, Zimmer, Adams, Cozens, Moore

By Jason Martinez | August 4, 2016 at 12:45pm CDT

This week’s installment of Knocking Down the Door features four Double-A players and another who has only played nine games in Triple-A. Am I reaching a bit? Maybe. But there aren’t many obvious call-ups remaining, at least none that I haven’t written about already. The well is running a bit dry this time of the season. Many prospects have already been promoted. Young pitching prospects are more likely to be shut down than called up to the big leagues. Some prospects will be passed over for a promotion for reasons related to service time. That doesn’t mean there aren’t some players in the minors who can help a contender down the stretch or get an early 2017 audition for a non-contender.

Luke Weaver, SP/RP, St. Louis Cardinals (Double-A Springfield)

The Cardinals have been able to go with the same five starting pitchers in all but one game this season and that was due to a rainout that caused the team to play six games in five days. In this day and age where teams were forced to use an average of 11 starting pitchers last season, mostly due to injuries, that is an amazing feat. Still, the Cardinals’ “sixth starter” on that day, Mike Mayers, gave up nine earned runs in 1 1/3 innings. If the Cardinals are not fortunate enough to continue using the same five starters through the end of the regular season, they’ll need a better option.

While top prospect Alex Reyes would likely succeed in the majors now as a reliever, he’s still a work in progress as a starter and, therefore, was passed over for a promotion when the team recently needed another spot starter and opted to move Jaime Garcia up to pitch on three days rest. He gave up six earned runs in 3 1/3 innings.

The good news, though, is that Luke Weaver is quickly becoming someone that they wouldn’t hesitate to call on the next time there is a need. The 22-year-old right-hander got a late start to the season due to a wrist injury, which could turn out to be a blessing in disguise. His limited workload (77 innings in 12 starts) could allow him to pitch deep into the regular season and post-season, if necessary. Since returning in June, he’s been absolutely dominant with a 1.40 ERA, 1.2 BB/9 and 10.3 K/9 while showing the consistency, command and repertoire that would play in the Majors now.

Cardinals Depth Chart

Bradley Zimmer, OF, Cleveland Indians (Triple-A Columbus)

The division-leading Indians were aggressive at the trade deadline, pulling off a deal for one of the best relief pitchers in the game, and nearly acquired catcher Jonathan Lucroy, who ended up vetoing the deal. While many of the team’s best prospects were traded or nearly traded, outfielder Bradley Zimmer is one that they were happy to retain.

With Michael Brantley slow to recover from a shoulder injury and currently lacking a definitive timeline to return, the 23-year-old Zimmer could potentially join the Indians’ outfield for the stretch run. While he’s posted an .843 OPS with 15 homers and 33 stolen bases in the upper minors (he’s off to an 11-for-33 start with Triple-A Columbus), Rajai Davis has slumped badly in the last few weeks and Abraham Almonte, while able to produce in short stretches throughout his career, isn’t the answer on a team trying to hold off the red-hot Detroit Tigers over the next two months.

The Red Sox recently called up Andrew Benintendi, allowing them to put the three most talented outfielders in their organization on the lineup card. The Indians shouldn’t hesitate to do the same with Zimmer.

Indians Depth Chart

Chance Adams, SP, New York Yankees (Double-A Trenton)

The deadline trade that sent Ivan Nova to the Pittsburgh Pirates opened up an opportunity for one of three pitchers—Chad Green, Luis Severino and Adam Warren—who have been pitching out of the Yankees’ bullpen. Green was first up on Wednesday, but he was knocked around by the Mets. Severino was impressive in relief of Green, which likely earns him a start when the spot comes around again. Alternatively, the Yankees could turn to Chance Adams, a 2015 draftee who is moving quickly up the ladder.

In 21 starts between High-A and Double-A, the 21-year-old Adams has a 2.26 ERA. 2.7 BB/9 and 10.2 K/9 while holding opponents to a .171 batting average. He’s had just one bad start out of nine in Double-A and hasn’t allowed more than one run in seven of those.

While we’re getting to the point of the season when young pitchers are close to being shut down in order to limit workloads—Adams is currently at 108 1/3 innings pitched; he threw 94 1/3 innings in 2015 between his final collegiate season with Dallas Baptist and 14 professional relief appearances—the Yankees can have Adams throw his final innings of the 2016 season in the Majors in what would be an early audition for the 2017 season.

Yankees Depth Chart

Dylan Cozens, OF, Philadelphia Phillies (Double-A Reading)

With Cody Asche not doing enough to secure a spot in 2017 Phillies’ outfield and Nick Williams having an underwhelming season in Triple-A, Dylan Cozens has worked his way into the mix with a monster season for Double-A Reading.

After a three-homer game on Wednesday, pushing his season total to 30, it’s safe to say that the 22-year-old Cozens has done enough to earn a promotion. He also has 31 doubles, 18 stolen bases and a .962 OPS. Now it’s up to the Phillies to decide whether they want to bump him up one level to Triple-A or see him up close against Major League pitching.

At 6’6″ and 235 pounds, the left-handed hitting Cozens would be quite a presence in the middle of the Phillies’ lineup and would balance out a cast of right-handed hitters—Maikel Franco, Tommy Joseph, Aaron Altherr and Cameron Rupp all figure to be in the middle of the 2017 lineup. While he is going to strike out a lot—he has 134 in 452 plate appearances—he’s also walked 53 times and has shown an ability to make adjustments.

Phillies Depth Chart

Andrew Moore, SP, Seattle Mariners (Double-A Jackson)

Two months left in the season and the Mariners’ rotation is struggling to get to the finish line. Even if Taijuan Walker can stay healthy once he returns from the disabled list on Saturday, Felix Hernandez (17 ER in last 23 2/3 innings) has not been himself, and it’s unlikely that Wade LeBlanc can hold down a rotation spot through the end of the season. They’ll need some more help.

Ariel Miranda will make his first MLB start on Thursday and Zach Lee could also make his Mariners’ debut before the season’s end. Not the most exciting options, but there are a lot of innings left in the season and someone has to pitch. Look a little deeper into the farm system, though, and Double-A starter Andrew Moore is doing everything he can to make the jump to the big leagues before the end of his first full professional season.

After tossing a five-hit shutout in his last start, the 22-year-old Moore lowered his ERA to 2.30 with a 1.6 BB/9 and 6.9 K/9 in 22 starts between High-A and Double-A. While he’s closing in on 130 innings for the season, he tossed over 160 in 2015 between Oregon State and Short-Season Everett and might be capable of pitching into September with the Mariners.

Mariners Depth Chart

“Knocking Down the Door” is a weekly feature that identifies minor leaguers who are making a case for a big league promotion.

GM Matt Klentak On Phillies’ Quiet Trade Deadline

By Jason Martinez | August 1, 2016 at 6:24pm CDT

There’s no question that the Phillies are rebuilding, with some of their better prospects—see J.P. Crawford, Nick Williams and Jake Thompson—closing in on the Major Leagues. As a result, there was an expectation that general manager Matt Klentak would, at the least, trade away free agents-to-be Jeremy Hellickson and David Hernandez, both of whom are having strong seasons, and veteran catcher Carlos Ruiz, who has a $4.5MM club option in 2017. But the first-year general manager came up empty during his first trade deadline.

As Klentak explained on a conference call earlier today, he was open-minded to making a deal and had dialogue with quite a few teams on a number of their players.

“We had offers out to other teams that, if accepted, we would have done,” Klentak said. “At the end of the day, there was nothing we felt made sense for the organization at this time.”

Citing a focus on appropriately balancing the present and the future, Klentak believes that Ruiz and Hellickson are playing a key role in the development of their younger players.

“We want to make sure our young players are being mentored by the right veterans,” Klentak explained. “Chooch has had a great career with the Phillies, and we value what he means to the organization and to the younger players. We like what he brings to this team.”

With regard to the 29-year-old Hellickson, who was acquired from the Diamondbacks last winter, Klentak stressed the importance of having a reliable innings-eater with many of the Phillies’ young pitchers beginning to approach innings totals that they haven’t reached in their careers.

“The reason we went out and acquired him last offseason is to provide stability to our rotation and mentor our young pitchers,” Klentak said. “I think he’s been outstanding in that role.”

While Klentak said that they have not determined whether Hellickson will be given a qualifying offer, which is estimated to be $16.7MM, they are mindful that a new Collective Bargaining Agreement could be in place by the offseason. With a very supportive ownership group and few future commitments, however, he wouldn’t rule it out. He also didn’t rule out the possibility of an August trade, although there are more hurdles to clear that would make it complicated.

As far as opening up playing time for young prospects, Klentak said that he never looked at the trade deadline as the platform that would allow them to play. The important thing, he said, is to call them up when they’re ready and never have to send them back because they’re not ready.

“[The lack of trades] doesn’t set back the timeline for any promotion,” he says. “We will promote them when they’re ready. If we need to create room, we will do so. There’s a decent chance we’ll see another somewhat notable promotion of a first-time big-leaguer before the season’s up.”

Trade Market For Relievers

By Jason Martinez and Jeff Todd | July 29, 2016 at 8:35pm CDT

Pitching is the priority for most contenders. Starting pitchers, however, are costly and there aren’t many good ones available right now unless a team has and is willing to trade away an elite prospect or possibly even two.

The alternative is to trade for a reliable reliever or two, which could help a team who isn’t getting enough quality innings out of their starting pitchers. As the Royals have proven, you don’t need six or seven innings from your starting pitchers to succeed as long as your bullpen can pick up the slack. Three dominant relievers to cover the 7th, 8th and 9th innings helped in their case, but they also had several others who made a strong contribution to the team’s success.

This is the time for a contender to assess how much help their bullpen needs and ensure that they’re stocked up for the stretch run. Here are some relievers who are likely available on the trade market.

Premium Relief Arms

Andrew Miller (Yankees), Wade Davis (Royals), Mark Melancon (Pirates), David Robertson (White Sox), Alex Colome (Rays), Arodys Vizcaino (Braves), Jeremy Jeffress & Will Smith (Brewers)

Miller and Davis represent the top of the class, but much like the many controllable starters we’ve heard so much about, it’s not clear that either is available for anything less than a true haul. The Yankees already dealt away Aroldis Chapman, and have seemingly put an immense price tag on Miller, who is now unquestionably one of the very best relievers in baseball. The same can be said of Davis, though he hasn’t been quite as excellent this year as last and has one less season of control on his contract, which runs out after 2017.
There were rumblings before the year that the Bucs could look to swap out Melancon and his $9.65MM salary. The cash probably isn’t a major concern at this point, but the Pirates are in a somewhat difficult position for contention and have reportedly considered a deal for a pending free agent. Melancon is still trucking along with a 1.51 ERA and 8.2 K/9 against 1.9 BB/9, all within range of the new standard he set for himself beginning in 2013. Since Pittsburgh is still a plausible post-season threat, it seems that the team would be looking for a somewhat unique scenario — the ask is for a solid set-up arm to plug onto the MLB roster as well as a prospect haul to make up the difference in value and bolster the organization’s future.
Robertson is having a fine season and is surely a late-inning upgrade for some contenders. But he’s still due close to $30MM through the 2018 season and he’s just not the same pitcher he was when he signed his current deal with the White Sox. If the Sox were willing to take on some of Robertson’s remaining salary, however, they could well generate a solid return — especially if the names just listed prove too expensive to change hands.
If the Rays are willing to trade away one of their controllable starting pitchers, as the rumors indicate, then they’d certainly trade All-Star closer Colome. Even with four years left of club control remaining after 2016, Colome won’t have as much value to the Rays until they’re ready to contend again. Still, the price will be high for the 27-year-old and the Rays won’t be motivated to move him unless they’re blown away with an offer.
Jeffress and Vizcaino are in the same boat as Colome with their respective teams. Young, controllable and talented closers with teams that aren’t competitive now and might not be for at least a couple more years. The price is high, but these guys are definitely available. The question with Jeffress is whether another team will value his groundball-driven approach as highly as do the Brewers. As for Vizcaino, some recent stumbles and a DL stint have significantly reduced the likelihood he’s dealt.
That leaves Smith, who missed a big chunk of time earlier this year and has been more solid than great since returning. The 27-year-old southpaw owns a 3.60 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 over twenty innings, representing a drop-off from the 3.79 K/BB ratio he ran up a season ago. With three remaining seasons of arbitration eligibility, Milwaukee may choose to see if he can build up value over the next several months before exploring a deal in earnest.

Click to read below for the rental relievers and other pen arms with future control:

Pure Rentals

Righties Joe Smith (Angels), Daniel Hudson (Diamondbacks), David Hernandez (Phillies), Jim Johnson (Braves), Ross Ohlendorf (Reds)

The 32-year-old Smith isn’t nearly as effective as he once was, but he’s a pending free agent and one of the Halos’ few obvious trade pieces. Smith’s K rate has fallen off a cliff, but he still gets groundballs and has turned in seven appearances running without allowing a run (or recording a single strikeout or walk).
Hudson’s chief appeal at this point is velocity, as he continues to run up a consistent mid-nineties heater. But the results haven’t been there (6.08 ERA with 7.5 K/9 against 3.7 BB/9 over 37 frames) after a solid bounceback 2015 following years of arm troubles. Hudson is an obvious trade piece as a soon-to-be free agent for a disappointing D-Backs club that will probably just need to get what it can for him.
There was a point earlier in the year where Hernandez was looking like he might be a nice trade piece for the Phils, but he has come back down to earth as the season has gone on. Over 47 1/3 innings, he owns a 4.37 ERA that largely mirrors his career results. The double-digit strikeouts per nine is appealing, as is a fastball that sits around 94 mph, but Philadelphia won’t expect a ton in return.
Johnson may or may not be traded within minutes of this post going live. He’s not producing like the closer of yore, and his fastball velocity continues a slow decline, but he’s still generating a 56.4% groundball rate.
Though he’s over-extended in his current late-inning role in Cincinnati, Ohlendorf is recording more than a strikeout per nine, bringing a mid-90s fastball, and carryig a usable 4.27 ERA in 46 1/3 innings. Plus, given his history as a starter, teams could conceivably use Ohlendorf for multiple innings if needed.

Lefties Boone Logan (Rockies), Marc Rzepczynski (Athletics), Eric O’Flaherty (Braves)

Logan looks to be the prime rental LOOGY on the market, with a rather remarkable 17.0% swinging strike rate and — finally — the results to match. Those numbers have been mostly achieved against same-handed hitters, as Logan has nibbled against righties and put on too many via the walk, but he could be a nice weapon down the stretch.
At thirty years of age, “Scrabble” (that’s Rzepczynski) carries a 3.19 ERA with 9.3 K/9 and 5.5 BB/9. He has always been deployed mostly against lefties, but has actually been better against right-handed hitting thus far in 2016.
O’Flaherty has posted some of the game’s ugliest earned-run marks over the last two years, but ERA estimators think he’s been much better this season. Over 22 2/3 innings, he has struck out 6.8 and walked 2.0 batters per nine with a 53.8% groundball rate, with a .355 BABIP and 55.2% strand rate telling heavily in his results.

Future Control

Righties Jeanmar Gomez (Phillies), Huston Street (Angels), Tyler Clippard (Diamondbacks), Brandon Kintzler (Twins), Tyler Thornburg (Brewers), Erasmo Ramirez & Brad Boxberger (Rays), Ryan Madson (Athletics), Brandon Maurer (Padres), Blake Wood (Reds)

It’s unlikely that any contending team would view Gomez as their closer. As effective as he’s been for the Phillies, he has a 5.6 K/9 and throws his fastball in the low 90’s. Not exactly the prototypical late-inning reliever. There should be solid interest, though reports suggest Philadelphia isn’t terribly interested in moving Gomez with another year of control remaining.
Street has been injury-prone the past few years and hasn’t been very good in 2016. With a 4.79 ERA, 11 walks and 11 strikeouts in 20.2 innings, it’s doubtful that there will be a ton of interest even if the Angels were to keep a majority of the estimated $13MM remaining on his contract. In all likelihood, he’ll be kept in hopes of a turnaround.
Clippard may have hit a wall at 31 years of age after years of heavy usage. He’s striking out batters right at his career-peak rate of around 11 per nine, but he’s giving up more line drives and less lazy flyballs than he used to, leading to a dramatic rise in the batting average on balls in play against him. He’s available, but is also expensive with a $6.15MM salary on the books for 2017.
In a down year for the Twins, Kintzler has been a nice surprise. He is outperforming his peripherals with a 1.99 ERA, and doesn’t get many strikeouts, but he also basically doesn’t walk anyone and draws a ton of worm-burners (63.6% groundball rate). Kintzler will be entering his last year of arbitration at an appealing price tag, so he’s a solid piece.
Thornburg has worked his way into the elite class of setup men and appears destined to be a closer in the near future. With three years left of club control, that opportunity will probably come with the Brewers once they trade Jeffress. But you also can’t rule out a team being more aggressive to acquire Thornburg, who has a 2.21 ERA, 18 holds and a 12.6 K/9 in his 42 appearances.
The Rays have already drawn calls on Ramirez, who offers a swingman option and three years of cheap future control. He’s carrying a 3.90 ERA with 6.9 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9, all right at his career numbers. It’s quite a different situation for Boxberger, who has missed almost all of the season with arm issues but was just activated from the DL. The 28-year-old offers plenty of upside with his typically high whiff rate and three years of arb years to come, but he’s a big injury risk and we haven’t really heard him mentioned as a trade candidate.
Madson was great in a setup role with the Royals in 2015, but has struggled as the A’s closer this season. If a team thought he’d be more effective once moved back into a setup role, they’d better be very confident about it because he’d be one of the highest paid setup men in the game. He’s due close to $20MM through the 2018 season.
Long an intriguing arm, Maurer has shown new life and recently took over the closer’s role in San Diego. If you look behind his 4.59 ERA, you’ll see a useful 10.5 K/9 against 3.5 BB/9 in 49 innings. Better still, his velocity is moving in the right direction. Maurer comes with three arb-eligible years.
Though he isn’t drawing any headlines, Wood has checked in with a 3.42 ERA over 47 1/3 innings. Thing is, he’s also coughing up 5.3 free passes per nine, which makes his 8.6 K/9 mark decidedly less appealing than it would be in isolation.

Lefties Fernando Abad (Twins), Zach Duke (White Sox), Jake McGee (Rockies), Xavier Cedeno (Rays), Ryan Buchter & Brad Hand (Padres), Ian Krol & Hunter Cervenka (Braves), Tony Cingrani (Reds)

Abad is one of the prime trade pieces on this market, though Minnesota doesn’t have to deal him with another year of cheap control left to go. The 30-year-old carries a 2.53 ERA on the year, though his once sparkling peripherals have fallen off a bit (7.9 K/9 vs. 3.9 BB/9).
Though Duke isn’t cheap — he’s earning $5MM this year and $5.5MM next — he should hold solid appeal. Since his reinvention began in 2014, he’s running a 2.88 ERA with 10.5 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9. While he struggled against righties last year, moreover, the former starter has returned to posting neutral platoon splits this season.
It’s been a struggle for McGee since he arrived in Colorado, with notable declines in virtually every area. In particular, he is striking out about half as many hitters he did last year (with a career-low 7.8% swinging strike rate) and has lost a tick on his already-diminished fastball. With a $4.8MM salary for 2016 and a raise coming, he’s nothing close to the asset he once was.
With arbitration beckoning, the 29-year-old Cedeno could become a trade piece for the Rays. He hasn’t been quite as good in the results department this year as he was last, but Cedeno is still putting up a 3.62 ERA with impressive peripherals — 8.9 K/9 with 2.5 BB/9. He has allowed less than a hit per inning and just one home run. Cedeno has to have the game’s best 88 mph heater; he’s racked up about a 14% whiff rate over the last two campaigns while relying heavily on his cutter, mixed in oft-changing ratios with a hook.
Buchter has been a revelation since getting a chance with the Friars, but with gobs of control remaining he won’t come cheap. Hand, meanwhile, has long been a useful swingman, but he has been a different pitcher since changing homes. Over 55 1/3 innings, he’s running up a 3.09 ERA with 10.4 K/9 and 4.9 BB/9 — both of which are much higher than he has typically shown. Hand has relied more on his two-seamer and, especially, his curve while largely dropping his change, with generally promising results.
With arbitration beckoning, the 25-year-old Krol has impressed. He’s sitting with a 3.14 ERA and 10.1 K/9 vs. 3.1 BB/9 to go with a 51.3% groundball rate over 28 2/3 frames. Teams will still be wary of the track record — control has long been fleeting — but Krol is sitting at a career-best 94.0 mph with his average fastball, carries a double-digit whiff rate, and has managed to get his first pitch over for a strike much more frequently than he has in the past. Cervenka is actually a year older than Krol, but only just debuted. His double-digit punches per nine is impressive but he’s also walking more than five batters per regulation game. Brandishing a slider in over half of his pitches, Cervenka has permitted just 20 hits in 31 1/3 innings and owns a 2.87 ERA. With a full slate of control remaining, though, Atlanta has little reason to deal him — and teams probably won’t pay much of a premium in hopes of slotting him into their pen down the stretch given the risks.
Though he has a 3.20 ERA on the year and a solid prospect pedigree behind him, Cingrani has recorded just 6.4 K/9 against 4.6 BB/9 in his 45 innings on the year. His results are propped up by a .238 BABIP, though it’s fair to note that Cingrani is not permitting a ton of hard contact or line drives. He’s also pushing 94 mph with his average fastball, well above his velo as a starter; that’s particularly important since he uses the pitch over 80% of the time. Cingrani will reach arb eligibility after the year, and the budget-conscious Reds could see this as a reasonable time to try to cash him in — if another organization has interest.

Trade Market For Corner Outfielders

By Steve Adams | July 28, 2016 at 6:02pm CDT

The quiet nature of this month means that there are plenty of corner options still available, and there’s been no shortage of clubs linked to help in left field and right field. The Indians, Dodgers, Cubs, Orioles, Mariners, Giants and Nationals have all been connected to outfielders in some capacity, and others figure to be exploring the market more quietly as well. Here’s a rundown of some of the available options…

Top Rentals

Josh Reddick: Extension talks between Reddick and the A’s haven’t progressed, with Oakland seeking a three-year pact and Reddick looking for four. His season has been shortened by a fractured thumb, but Reddick is slashing a very solid .300/.375/.443 with seven homers in 258 plate appearances. He’s walked nearly as many times (28) as he’s struck out (33) and is earning an affordable $6.575MM in his final year before hitting the open market. The A’s have been winning quite a bit since the All-Star break (9-4), but they’re still 11 games back in the division and 9.5 games back from a Wild Card spot, making Reddick seem like a good bet to be moved by always-active president of baseball ops Billy Beane.

Carlos Beltran: The Yankees already sold one free-agent-to-be in Aroldis Chapman, and Beltran makes sense as a trade candidate in a similar vein. He’s hitting .305/.347/.548 with 21 home runs on the year and is in the final season of a three-year, $45MM deal. Beltran’s glove has deteriorated substantially, but an American League club could certainly benefit from adding him to split time between right field and DH.

Steve Pearce: Pearce is absolutely mashing (.312/.384/.528) on a one-year, $4.75MM deal for a selling Rays club. He’s extremely likely to be traded in the coming days and, as a bonus, can handle first base and second base as well. Pearce probably doesn’t get the fanfare he deserves, but he’s batted .271/.347/.502 in 932 PAs dating back to 2014.

Signed Through 2017

Jay Bruce: Not only is Bruce in the midst of a brilliant rebound, he’s arguably the hottest hitter in Major League Baseball. Bruce has homered in five straight games, one being a multi-homer showing, and he’s hitting .271/.323/.572 with 25 homers overall. His $13MM option for next season looks perfectly reasonable even if his defense has taken a step back following 2014 knee surgery. The rebuilding Reds seem likely to move him within the next few days barring a somewhat surprising lack of genuine interest.

Carlos Gonzalez: CarGo has been the subject of trade rumors for the better part of three years thanks to his excellent play and the Rockies’ perennial status as also-rans in the NL West. His increasing proximity to free agency, however, makes it seem more plausible that Gonzalez would be traded than it has in years past. His .317/.370/.544 slash line is inflated somewhat by Coors Field, but even when adjusted for park and league, it translates to about 25 percent above the league-average hitter. He’s not the base-stealing threat he once was, but Gonzalez doesn’t hurt a team on the basepaths and still provides an above-average glove in right field.

Melky Cabrera: There’s a perception that Cabrera could be included in the “big contract” section below, but he’s hitting .293/.338/.453 since June 1 of last season and is past the halfway point in his deal. He doesn’t bring much to the table in terms of defensive value, but Cabrera is a solid bat that isn’t outrageously priced. If the Sox are willing to listen on short-term assets — and it sounds like they are — then there’s no reason to think Cabrera couldn’t go help deepen a contending club’s lineup.

Controllable Assets

Kole Calhoun (Angels), Robbie Grossman (Twins), Khris Davis (Athletics), Brett Gardner (Yankees), Brandon Guyer (Rays), Desmond Jennings (Rays)

Calhoun’s inclusion is a stretch, but there’s no doubt teams are at least checking in with the Halos on their quietly excellent and perpetually underrated right fielder. Calhoun is hitting .283/.364/.431 with 10 homers and 31 total extra-base hits to go along with solid right field defense. He’s under control through 2019 as a Super Two player, and I’d imagine he would have to net the Angels multiple high-end pieces (likely MLB-ready arms) for an offer to even merit consideration.
It’s not all that clear that the Twins or A’s would listen on Grossman and Davis, as each is highly controllable (Grossman for four more years, Davis for three) and producing at the plate. Grossman’s ridiculous 17.6 percent walk rate has seemingly materialized out of thin air and resulted in a .274/.405/.441 line through 227 PAs since inking a minors deal with the Twins in May. Davis mashed his 24th and 25th homers last night despite playing half his games at O.Co Coliseum. He’s OBP challenged, as always, and strikes out a fair amount, but that power is tantalizing.
Gardner would represent a different type of trade than Chapman or Beltran for the Yankees, as he’s controlled for two years beyond this (with an option for a third season) at a reasonable rate and is still productive. Moving Gardner is seemingly the type of trade the Yankees are looking to avoid, as they’re not entering a complete rebuild. Still, he’s been speculated upon since the offseason and should draw interest.
The Rays are getting more hits on their pitchers, but clubs in need of a right-handed outfield bat could look to Tampa Bay as well. Neither Guyer nor Jennings is as productive as Pearce, but Guyer is controllable and handles left-handed pitching quite well. Jennings’ top prospect star has faded and he’s no longer even looking like an everyday option following a series of knee injuries, but perhaps a change of scenery (and escaping Tropicana Field’s turf) could help his cause.

Reserves/Fourth Outfielders

Jarrod Dyson (Royals), Jimmy Paredes/Cody Asche (Phillies), Jeff Francoeur (Braves), Nori Aoki (Mariners), Avisail Garcia (White Sox), Daniel Nava (Angels), Rickie Weeks (D-backs)

The Braves don’t want to move Francoeur unless they get a legitimate prospect in return, which seems unlikely, but GM John Coppolella did pull a real prospect out of Lucas Harrell and Dario Alvarez. Garcia has once again proven underwhelming for the White Sox, who one has to imagine will simply give up the ghost on him at some point. The same could be said for Asche in Philadelphia. Dyson’s glove and wheels make him an intriguing long-term bench option, but his affordable remaining control might just mean Kansas City holds onto him.

Big Contracts

Ryan Braun (Brewers), Matt Kemp (Padres), Jacoby Ellsbury (Yankees), Yasmany Tomas (D-backs), Nick Markakis (Braves)

Braun is still an elite bat, but interest in him is apparently minimal due to the fact that he’s just in the first season a five-year, $105MM contract extension. That type of cash is difficult for any team to absorb at any time but especially midseason. The Brewers are reportedly more concerned with getting good talent in return than getting salary relief, so the possibility of a salary dump needn’t be entertained.
The other names on this list simply haven’t performed well enough to make a trade seem reasonable. Tomas is hitting for power this season but still showing poor plate discipline and playing sub-par defense. That’s doubly true for Kemp, who has one of the lowest OBPs of any qualified hitter and still has gobs of cash left on his deal — though he is slugging .488 and has swatted 23 long balls. Ellsbury has $84.57MM remaining on his deal after this season, which figures to be a non-starter in any talks. Markakis could be moved if the Braves eat some of the $22MM he’s owed after the season, but it’s been years since he showed any kind of power, and his average/OBP have dipped this year, too.

Injured

Jon Jay (Padres), Peter Bourjos (Phillies)

Jay was shaping up to be one of San Diego’s best trade chips before a fractured forearm suffered on a hit-by-pitch shelved him for more than a month. He’ll be back in August and should draw interest as a trade candidate, though he might not make it through waivers. Bourjos was a man on fire for about six weeks leading up to the All-Star break and has long had a brilliant defensive reputation. He hit the DL today after crashing into the outfield wall while making a running catcher and subsequently injuring his shoulder, but a contending club looking for some speed and defense in a fourth outfielder could benefit from adding the fleet-footed Bourjos in August once he’s healthy.

Trade Market For Third Basemen

By Steve Adams | July 27, 2016 at 2:20pm CDT

Third base has been a largely productive position for big league clubs this season, and even teams that have seen their primary options go down due to injury (i.e. the Royals and the Mets) have received solid if not above-average production from their replacements. That shrinks the number of clubs that would conceivably look to buy at the hot corner, though there are a few contenders that make sense. Cleveland, for instance, hasn’t received great production out of Juan Uribe and could shift him to a bench role with a meaningful third base upgrade. The Giants have had a carousel at the hot corner with Matt Duffy on the shelf, and the Cardinals last week placed Jhonny Peralta on the disabled list with an injury to the same thumb that cost him the first few months of the 2016 season. Other clubs could simply look to add a versatile piece (possibly with remaining club control) that could not only handle third base but a few other positions. And, as luck would have it, there are plenty such names available…

Short-Term Veterans

Todd Frazier: The White Sox are opening to offers on the majority of their roster, and while Frazier comes with plenty of name value and plenty of power, his overall production has been a bit of a letdown. Frazier’s 29 homers trail only Mark Trumbo for the Major League lead, but he’s hitting .212/.299/.475 this season. His 10.4 percent walk rate is a career-best, and there’s some poor luck in terms of BABIP (.200), but part of that low average on balls in play is due to an enormous 22 percent infield-fly rate, so he shouldn’t be expected to rebound to the league average. Frazier’s 24 percent strikeout rate is a career worst as well. Still, he’s teeming with power, earning just $8.25MM this year and owed one more raise in arbitration before free agency. The Sox probably place a high value on him, as they’re not indicating a full rebuild is in the offing.

Yunel Escobar: The .326/.372/.418 batting line that Escobar has produced this season is a near-mirror image of his .314/.375/.415 slash from his strong 2015 season with the Nationals. However, the sub-par defense he’s playing at the hot corner is also a close approximation of last season as well. That’s essentially who Escobar is, though: an average to above-average hitter with a questionable glove. He’s on a reasonable $7MM salary for the 2016 season and has a 2017 club option for the same rate, making him attractive from a financial standpoint. Escobar’s personality has drawn some questionable reviews in the past, but he received an endorsement as a teammate from Hector Santiago earlier this summer.

Danny Valencia: Whether Valencia has fallen out of favor with the A’s or Oakland simply wants to see Ryon Healy on an everyday basis to gauge his future, Valencia has lost his starting third base gig in spite of a robust .299/.351/.481 slash line this season. His defense has been abysmal, per both UZR and DRS, though he’s drawn at least competent marks from each of those metrics in the seasons leading up to 2016. Detractors will claim that Valencia’ productivity is a short-term fluke, but he’s somewhat quietly mashed at a .294/.348/.502 (131 OPS+) clip over his past 694 plate appearances. There are some clubhouse concerns here, and the defense is troubling as well, but Valencia has been an offensive force for more than a year and is controlled through 2017 via arbitration. He can probably handle some first base and left field as well.

Eduardo Nunez: Like Valencia, Nunez has quietly escalated his offensive profile dating back to Opening Day 2015. In 590 plate appearances since that time, the former Yankee is hitting .293/.326/.440 with 16 home runs and 34 stolen bases. Nunez is controlled through the 2017 season and is earning just $1.475MM this season, making him the most affordable option in this “short-term veteran” bucket. As a bonus, he’s capable of playing shortstop (where he’s played for most of the 2016 season), second base and left field as well, even if he’s not a great defender at any of the four spots. Nunez is popular among his teammates, but the disappointing Twins are likely open to moving any player within arm’s reach of free agency, and Nunez is reportedly one of their most asked-about names.

Controllable Assets

Yangervis Solarte: The Padres haven’t shied away from selling controllable pieces, and Solarte only has one more year of control than Drew Pomeranz, whom they already shipped out. He’s done nothing but hit in the Majors, is cheap for the time being, can play multiple positions and is in the midst of the best season of his career. The return for Chase Headley looked pretty light when the Padres got him, but Solarte has made it a great move for San Diego.

Jed Lowrie: Lowrie’s power has vanished, and he hasn’t played a lot of third base lately, but he’s experienced at the position and is hitting for average/OBP on an affordable contract for a clear-cut seller in Oakland. Like Solarte, he can move around the infield a bit and provide a team with at least a super-utility option if not a regular player at multiple positions.

Jonathan Villar: The Brewers needn’t feel compelled to move Villar, who is having a breakout season (.295/.377/.433 with an MLB-best 36 steals). He’s controllable through 2020, so if Milwaukee is to part with him, the return would need to be fairly significant. Orlando Arcia is going to push him off shortstop soon, but Villar could play second or third base, so that’s not much of a concern for the Brew Crew.

Logan Forsythe: The Rays have played Forsythe at second base almost exclusively, but he has a bit of experience at third and could probably handle the spot if needed. He’s continued his 2015 breakout with a .278/.339/.454 batting line this season and is affordable through the 2018 season via a $5.75MM salary next year and a club option for the 2018 season that’s valued at $8.5MM. If he continues at his current pace, those are both flat-out bargains. The Rays are selling, and $5.75MM next year is more to them than it is to most clubs.

Evan Longoria: I only mention Longoria due to some fairly vague speculation that the Dodgers would have interest in him — Longo is a known commodity for Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, who previously headed up Tampa Bay’s baseball ops department — but that’s probably true of most teams in baseball. Longoria is in the midst of a brilliant rebound season at the plate, hitting .287/.336/.535 with 22 home runs. He’s playing his typically excellent defense at the hot corner and figures to finish out the season somewhere in the vicinity of five to six wins above replacement. He’s still just 30 years of age, so the $99MM he’s owed through 2022 is perfectly reasonable. The Rays would have to be overwhelmed to move him.

Reserves/Utility Options

Gordon Beckham (Braves), Brett Wallace (Padres), Eduardo Escobar (Twins), Andres Blanco/Freddy Galvis (Phillies), Adam Rosales/Alexi Amarista (Padres), Daniel Descalso (Rockies)

As we saw at both second base and shortstop, there’s a wide variety of utility types available. The asking price on most of these players wouldn’t be all that high, with Escobar as a possible exception due to his remaining club control and the fact that he was a very solid piece for Minnesota in 2014-15.

Big Contracts/Injured Players (i.e. August Options)

Chase Headley: Headley probably draws more criticism than he deserves, as he’s quietly batted .279/.341/.442 dating back to May 1 this season and is on pace for an overall above-average campaign. He comes with concerns about his durability, and there’s a perception among some fans that he’s a bust because he hasn’t played like a star even though he isn’t being paid like one in the first place. He’s owed $5.26MM through the end of this season plus another $13MM in 2017 and in 2018. That amount of money means the Yankees would probably have to absorb some cash to move him.

Trevor Plouffe: It looked reasonable for the Twins to trade Plouffe this winter when he was coming off a pair of solid seasons as Minnesota’s regular third baseman. Now, he’s in the midst of his second DL stint and sporting a lackluster .252/.283/.399 slash with seven homers and a $7.25MM salary. The Twins have moved Miguel Sano back to third base in part to clear room for Max Kepler and in part because Sano often looked lost in the outfield. That makes it tough to see where Plouffe fits into the long-term plan once he’s healthy. Down season aside, Plouffe is controllable through 2017 via arbitration and enjoyed a .251/.317/.429 run with 20-homer pop and solid defense from 2014-15, so one can envision him piquing the interest of corner-infield-needy clubs. (Plouffe also has recent experience at first base.)

Brett Lawrie: Reportedly headed to the disabled list due to a hamstring strain (per JJ Stankevitz of CSN Chicago), Lawrie’s injury makes him an unlikely candidate to be dealt this month. However, he could be an August option for teams in need of help at second or third base. He’s sporting a roughly league-average batting line, per OPS+ and wRC+, and offers a bit of pop and speed at either position. He’s making $4.125MM this year and has another year of control before hitting free agency following the 2017 season.

Trade Market For Center Fielders

By Jeff Todd | July 26, 2016 at 2:34pm CDT

While Melvin Upton left the market before I could wrap up this post, there are still plenty of names to cover in the center field market. There’s obviously quite a lot of overlap between this and the corner outfield market, which we’ll cover separately. Many of the players listed below, like Upton, aren’t necessarily strictly identified as up-the-middle defenders — but their established ability to hold down such a role distinguishes them from their generally slower-footed brethren.

There’s cause to expect continued movement in this area of the market, even with the acquisition of Upton seemingly taking the Blue Jays out of further consideration. The Nationals haven’t received what they hoped for out of the position, and certainly could look to improve. You could argue the same for the Cardinals, though Randal Grichuk has turned it up at the plate of late. While the Indians may now feel covered with Rajai Davis and Tyler Naquin both producing, the team could still prefer to find a center-field-capable addition to increase its flexibility. And there are always teams that will prefer to add a fourth outfielder who is capable of playing center even if they have a quality regular — the Orioles, for instance, were said to be the runners up for Upton. It’s possible to imagine teams like the Giants, Dodgers, Cubs, Mets, and Astros having that sort of interest, though all could conceivably chase a bigger strike than might be expected.

Here are some center field options who could end up changing hands over the next several days (or, if not, then potentially during the revocable waiver period that will follow starting August 2nd):

Rentals

Peter Bourjos (Phillies), Alejandro De Aza (Mets), Michael Bourn (Diamondbacks), Coco Crisp (Athletics), Carlos Gomez (Astros) Jon Jay (Padres), Austin Jackson (White Sox)

It didn’t look this way for much of the year, but Bourjos is probably the top rental player as an up-the-middle outfielder. He’s cheap and doesn’t hold any future value to the Phils, and makes perfect sense as a bench piece for a contender that can make good use of his glove and legs down the stretch. Though he has fallen back to earth at the plate, and won’t reap any major return, there’s function there.
De Aza has never made much sense for the Mets, but could still hold a role as a bench piece who can still play a bit up the middle. Likewise, Bourn and Crisp are showing enough life — with the added benefit of being sturdy veterans — to warrant consideration (though Crisp is a bit banged up at present and remains a long-term health risk).
Gomez has resumed his stunning decline after a brief uptick in June. It’s not clear who’d want to take a chance on him, or whether Houston would have any interest in moving him for some meager return, but it’s not out of the question that he ends up moving.
The remaining two names in this section are not fit for action at the moment. Jay was playing himself into a nice chip before his unfortunate injury, while Jackson has the youth and defensive versatility to feature as a trade piece despite his struggles. They could both feature as August movers.

Controllable Starters

Charlie Blackmon (Rockies), Jacoby Ellsbury & Brett Gardner (Yankees), Ender Inciarte (Braves), Leonys Martin (Mariners), Billy Hamilton (Reds), Lorenzo Cain (Royals), Adam Eaton (White Sox)

We’ve heard chatter on Blackmon, though no clear market has emerged for his services with the Nationals denying reports of interest. He’s not as good as his Coors Field-inflated stat line would suggest, but remains a highly appealing player with two years of cheap control remaining.
Though he’s still a useful player, Ellsbury isn’t worth what he’s earning. But we haven’t heard him mentioned at all, and it isn’t clear what kind of scenario would facilitate a trade.
You have to figure that the next four names on the list — Gardner, Inciarte, Martin, Hamilton — are available at the right price, but none seem very likely at all to be dealt. Gardner is still a useful piece to the Yankees with at-market control left on his contract. The Braves would probably rather allow Inciarte to re-build his value before striking a deal, or simply utilize him as part of a hoped-for turnaround in the years to come. And Martin is not only a nice value for the M’s, but represents a solid coup for still-new GM Jerry Dipoto — who has said he’s not interested in selling.
As for Hamilton, it’s anybody’s guess how his career will progress from this point. He’ll only have three years of control remaining after 2016, and though he has returned to being a useful player after an ugly 2015, he still doesn’t profile as an optimal everyday solution. Perhaps some contender will fall in love with the idea of deploying his game-changing speed down the stretch and will put in a call to Cinci.
Rumor has it that the AL Central rival Royals and White Sox are at least willing to entertain proposals for their cornerstone center fielders, but neither is likely to change hands at the deadline. K.C. is hoping to give it one more go in 2017, and dealing Cain probably won’t help that cause. And Eaton — who has actually been more valuable in right — comes with plenty of cheap control and certainly isn’t being forced out by internal options.

CF-Capable Reserve Outfielders

Desmond Jennings & Brandon Guyer (Rays), Kirk Nieuwenhuis (Brewers), Anthony Gose (Tigers), Shane Robinson (Angels), Brandon Barnes (Rockies)

Jennings and Guyer could both hold appeal as reserve outfielder who are capable of playing in center, though neither looks to be a starting-caliber option up the middle. The former hasn’t hit much since 2014 and could be a non-tender candidate after the season, while the latter has been a nice and affordable asset but has been used sparingly up the middle.
I realize that Nieuwenhuis is pretty much the regular guy for the Brewers, but we’re going to consider him here. He is hitting a bit below league average while playing a solid center field, though it remains to be seen whether a contending club likes him enough to make an offer that will entice Milwaukee. It shouldn’t take much, but the Brewers will value having a reasonably steady player at this stage in their rebuild and could end up tendering him a contract in his first season of arbitration eligibility.
Things haven’t gone smoothly at all in 2016 for Gose, who had a decent showing last year — when he was somewhat over-extended in a near-everyday role — but was optioned after a rough start. The ugliness came to a head with a dispute with his Triple-A skipper, leading to a further demotion to Double-A. He’s a change-of-scenery candidate at this stage.
Robinson is hitting right at his career average, which is around 30% below league-average production. But he carries a good glove and has a place as a depth piece.
Barnes was just placed in DFA limbo and has struggled mightily at the plate. He’s more likely to end up joining a new organization on a minor league deal, though a waiver claim can’t be ruled out entirely.

No, Mike Trout Isn’t Available

As should be apparent, I created this category specifically for the Angels’ Mike Trout, who is not only the best player in baseball but remains a screaming value despite his pricey extension. We’ve heard discussion of whether the Halos should consider dealing him, but absolutely no indication that the large-market club has even thought of parting with a player who is well on his way to being an inner-circle Hall-of-Famer.

Knocking Down The Door: Austin, De Leon, Diaz, Williams, Wren

By Jason Martinez | July 25, 2016 at 6:20pm CDT

This week’s installment of Knocking Down the Door features only one player ranked as an organizational Top 10 prospect heading into the season, but that doesn’t mean the other four aren’t interesting. One is a former prospect who has done a very good job rebuilding his value in 2016. One just played in the Futures Game. Another is a former 2nd Round draft pick who has been overshadowed by an abundance of pitching talent in his current organization. And the last is the son of a former big league general manager.

Tyler Austin, 1B/OF, New York Yankees (Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre)

With the possibility that the Yankees will eventually cut bait and move on from struggling veterans Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira, top prospect Aaron Judge had positioned himself for a call-up a month ago. But a knee injury has him on the shelf, opening up the possibility for someone else to step up. Look no further than the guy who has 19 hits in his last 48 at-bats, including four homers, five doubles and 12 walks. That would be former prospect Tyler Austin.

Heading into the 2013 season, Austin was the 77th ranked prospect in the game, according to Baseball America. He was a 22-year-old right fielder coming off of a big season, mostly between High-A and Low-A, and ready to take his talents to the upper minors. Three seasons later, Austin had failed to impress not only his own organization, who designated him for assignment last September, but the 29 other teams who let him pass through waivers and remain with the Yankees.

Primarily a first baseman these days, the 24-year-old Austin has resurrected his chances to reach the big leagues thanks to an impressive showing with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Promoted from Double-A in early June, the right-handed hitter has a .320/.417/.654 slash line in 42 games while finally showing the power (11 homers) that has been absent during his long stretch in the upper minors. Now that the Yankees appear to be “sellers” this week, the likely trade of Carlos Beltran could further enhance Austin’s chances of reaching the Bronx in the near future.

Yankees Depth Chart

Jose De Leon, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers (Triple-A Oklahoma City)

When Jose De Leon was “Knocking Down The Door” way back in mid-June, he was just working his way back from injury and had dominated in a few short stints. I mentioned him as a potential late-inning power reliever, which the Dodgers lacked at the time.

Things are different these days, though. Joe Blanton and Adam Liberatore have been quite effective in setup roles and the hard-throwing Pedro Baez has been very good as of late (11.1 IP, 0 R, H, 2 BB, 12 K in last 9 appearances). It’s the Dodgers’ rotation that has major concerns, especially if Clayton Kershaw’s back injury keeps him out much longer.

While the Dodgers are very likely looking very hard at the trade market for an upgrade, they could also turn to the 23-year-old De Leon, who is now adequately stretched out to start and still dominating. The right-hander tossed four-hit ball over eight scoreless innings his last start for Triple-A Oklahoma City with no walks and 10 strikeouts. He’s also thrown just 43.1 innings this season, so shutting down the young pitching prospect early might not be necessary. It might be a combination of starts and relief stints, but De Leon could play a key role down the stretch for the injury-plagued Dodgers.

Dodgers Depth Chart

Yandy Diaz, 3B, Cleveland Indians (Triple-A Columbus)

For an up-and-coming team like the Indians with little post-season experience on their roster, a veteran like Juan Uribe is a great fit in the clubhouse. It’s not working out on the field, however, as the 37-year-old is having a miserable season at the plate (.605 OPS). With Michael Brantley’s latest setback, super-utilityman Jose Ramirez is needed more in the outfield, which means that the Tribe needs more production at the hot corner.

Meanwhile, third base prospect Yandy Diaz continues to be a hitting machine down in the minors. The 24-year-old, who signed out of Cuba prior to the 2014 season, has limited home run power but has accomplished the rare feat of compiling more walks (185) than strikeouts (163) in his Minor League career and has also slashed .308/.408/.412. Since a mid-May promotion to Triple-A, Diaz has a .915 OPS with 16 doubles, three triples and five homers. He has two hits in four consecutive games and has multiple hits in 15 of his last 23 games.

A lot can happen this week as the Indians look to bolster their roster, especially at bullpen and the catcher position. But the addition of Diaz could also have an impact as they try to capture their first division title since 2007.

Indians Depth Chart

Trevor Williams, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates (Triple-A Indianapolis)

It’s hard to stand out pitching in a rotation with two of the best prospects in baseball—Tyler Glasnow and Jameson Taillon—and two others, Steven Brault and Chad Kuhl, also doing everything possible to earn a promotion to the big leagues. But that’s exactly what Trevor Williams is doing.

Since returning from a shoulder injury that sidelined him for much of the first two months of the season, the 24-year-old right-hander has slowly worked his way into form with an amazing run over his last five starts (34 IP, 3 ER, 16 H, 3 BB, 24 K), including back-to-back scoreless outings.

With Jeff Locke and Jon Niese currently banished to the Pirates’ bullpen, Glasnow on the MLB disabled list and Kuhl pulled from his last Triple-A start with triceps discomfort, Williams has worked his way from 10th or 11th on the starting pitching depth chart to possibly next in line.

Pirates Depth Chart

Kyle Wren, OF, Milwaukee Brewers (Triple-A Colorado Springs)

Some combination of Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Keon Broxton and Ramon Flores was supposed to be keeping the center field job warm until top prospect Brett Phillips was ready to take over, likely at some point this season. It hasn’t worked out on either front, though, as that trio, despite Nieuwenhuis’ recent two-game hot streak (4-for-5, 3 HR) has struggled mightily at the plate and Phillips has not done enough with Double-A Biloxi. He’s probably pushed his big league ETA back to 2017.

I’m not sure what “Plan B” was when the season started, but Kyle Wren has played himself into position to be just that. Acquired from the Braves prior to the 2015 season — not long after his father was fired as Atlanta’s GM — Wren has the ability to play all three outfield spots, get on base and steal some bags.

Since a promotion to Triple-A in early June, the 25-year-old Wren has a .914 OPS with more walks (26) than strikeouts (23) and 11 stolen bases in 13 chances. With Domingo Santana slow to return from an elbow injury that has sidelined him for nearly two months, not to mention again how unproductive Niewenhuis, Broxton and Flores have been, there’s no reason why Wren shouldn’t get a look over the final two months of the season.

Brewers Depth Chart

“Knocking Down the Door” is a weekly feature that identifies minor leaguers who are making a case for a big league promotion.

Top 50 Trade Candidates

By Jeff Todd | July 24, 2016 at 3:50pm CDT

We waited to update MLBTR’s top trade candidate series for a bit, in recognition of the All-Star break lull. But things are starting to pick up quite a bit, and there’s plenty of change afoot as the list doubles in size from the most recent iteration. Drew Pomeranz, who sat in 13th position in our last list, was shipped in the biggest mid-season deal thus far. There are several other notable factors influencing the ranking you’ll see below; in particular, we’re now considering teams like the Yankees, White Sox, Royals, and Mariners as plausible sellers with the deadline nearing. None are fully committed in either direction as of yet, but there’s less time now for a dramatic change of fortune before August 1st.

Your weekly reminder: we’re not just ranking players by skill alone; we’re looking at overall asset value and trade likelihood. To assess trade value, we’re starting with overall on-field ability — with a premium on the capacity to make an impact in the current season — and then adjusting for contract and market factors. With contenders’ needs in relatively sharp focus, limitations such as future contract status, age, and niche role (platoon bats, relief-only pitchers) tend to have less of a drag on value — though obviously they still matter quite a bit. With regard to the likelihood of a swap, the focus is on potential selling teams’ motivation to deal, with contract status, near and long-term roster fit, and overall competitiveness all weighing heavily. Some teams simply aren’t in a position at present where it makes sense to include their top potential trade chips, but that will evolve over the coming weeks.

On to the ranking:

1. Aroldis Chapman, RP, Yankees — Though the Yanks are still in reasonable range for contention, word is that they’re readying to deal Chapman. The Cuban Missile promises to be a powerful weapon for whoever acquires him, with many of the best teams in baseball lining up for that chance — reportedly including the Indians, Cubs, Nationals, Dodgers, and Giants.

2. Jonathan Lucroy, C, Brewers — The Indians are said to have opened talks on Lucroy after losing Yan Gomes and receiving bad news on Michael Brantley’s health, and the Rangers are also seemingly kicking around the idea of a move. Though it’s not certain he’ll be dealt, Lucroy still has the best blend of trade likelihood and value — he’s a top player at a premium defensive position who is playing on a super-cheap deal with control remaining.

3. Josh Reddick, OF, Athletics — Extension talks seem to be going nowhere, so it’s probably time for the veteran to be shipped out of Oakland. Having resumed his solid form at the plate since returning from the DL, he’s the best all-around rental outfielder available. The Cubs are among the teams said to be looking at Reddick.

4. Jay Bruce, OF, Reds — Bruce’s previous placement at the top of this list was driven largely by the fact that he was so obviously available. With the picture now more clear in other areas, and Bruce cooling off of late, he’s sliding a bit.

5. Andrew Cashner, SP, Padres — It seems all but certain that Cashner will be traded; indeed, there was buzz that he’d be gone before his last start. After turning in two quality outings, rivals organizations might be more willing to take a chance on the up-and-down righty.

6. Rich Hill, SP, Athletics — It’s hard to place Hill, who has been unbelievable all year but has dealt with two seemingly minor but nagging injuries. The most recent one is a blister that hasn’t healed enough to allow him to get back in the rotation. Hill can still be traded even if he isn’t able to make it back before the deadline, but that possibility only makes his already hard-to-gauge value all the more uncertain.

7. Carlos Beltran, OF, Yankees — Beltran is another Yankee who’s tough to place, albeit for slightly different reasons. We haven’t heard a ton of chatter on the veteran, who is hitting at near-peak rates at 39 years of age. He’s a pure rental who is eligible for free agency this winter.

8. Steve Pearce, IF/OF, Rays — Pearce is matching his 2014 breakout with a .322/.393/.552 slash. He has also been hurt, which has been an issue in the past, but with a meager $4.75MM salary for the season he’d be quite an affordable addition. He isn’t a great defender, but Pearce has proven capable of playing first, second, and the corner outfield, so he could provide plenty of plate appearances to the right organization.

9. Jake Odorizzi, SP, Rays — Odorizzi has been far from dominant — he owns a 4.39 ERA in 110 2/3 innings — but he’s steady, young, cheap, and controlled for three more seasons. He still seems the most likely Rays pitcher to change hands.

10. Jeremy Hellickson, SP, Phillies — It has been a very strong campaign for the 29-year-old, who carries a 3.84 ERA with 8.0 K/9 against 2.0 BB/9 over 119 2/3 frames. It’s exactly what the Phils were hoping for when they added him over the winter, as he has been a nice stabilizing force and now looks like a solid trade piece in a market that doesn’t feature many useful rental starters.

11. Ervin Santana, SP, Twins — Teams prioritizing steadiness and durability will likely zero in on Santana, who’s a good bet to provide some reliable innings down the stretch and over the rest of his contract.

12. Matt Moore, SP, Rays — If, instead, you’d rather roll the dice on upside, then perhaps Moore is your guy. His contract is no longer quite as enticing as it once was, particularly since he can’t seem to turn the corner on the hill, but if he can find his form he’d once again be a premium asset.

13. Yunel Escobar, INF, Angels — It’s hard to discount the run he’s been on the last two years too much, but clubs will surely be wary of the fact that he’s doing it with a .350-ish BABIP. Without much pop in the bat, and a middling glove, there are limits to his value.

14. Danny Valencia, INF, Athletics — Valencia has fallen back at the plate and recently was moved off his regular third base gig. That seems to suggest that he’s not a major part of Oakland’s plans for 2017, but it also doesn’t necessarily do much for his trade value.

15. Melvin Upton Jr., OF, Padres — Trade chatter is picking up quite a bit on the resurgent Padres outfielder. His big contract will factor heavily in the market, as the Ubaldo Jimenez rumors would suggest, but he looks to be quite a useful addition for a contender in need of a fill-in starter or oft-used fourth outfielder.

16. Peter Bourjos, OF, Phillies — This feels a bit high for a player who is hitting quite well now, but hasn’t ever been a consistently useful offensive player. But that’s not the real reason for it. Instead, with Bourjos showing some life at the plate, he looks like an obvious player to change hands. His speed and defense make him a nice bench piece down the stretch, and with free agency coming, the Phils don’t have much reason not to cash him in.

17-19. Outfielders Ryan Braun (Brewers), Carlos Gonzalez & Charlie Blackmon (Rockies) — This trio is tough to gauge. You could argue that the Brewers ought to sell Braun now, but is the market really willing? And is Rockies owner Dick Monfort ready to pack in not only on 2016, but also ding the team’s near-future outlook by dealing away a high-quality outfielder?

20-21. Shortstops Eduardo Nunez (Twins) & Zack Cozart (Reds) — These are the two best middle infielders on the market — Cozart is an outstanding true shortstop, while Nunez has experience all over — but we’re still not seeing clear demand crystallize.

22-23. Relievers Jeremy Jeffress & Will Smith, Brewers — Milwaukee’s quality and controllable relievers could be traded or not, but odds are at least one will change hands as teams that miss out on bigger targets go looking for a backup plan.

24-26. Starters Jorge De La Rosa (Rockies), Ivan Nova (Yankees) & Jon Niese (Pirates) — There’s always demand for innings on the trade market, and these three starters bring that along with at least some hope for more.

Keep reading for the rest of the list and other names that were considered …

27-28. Catchers Derek Norris (Padres) & Stephen Vogt (Athletics) — Norris has long been considered a trade candidate with Austin Hedges in need of a big league opportunity. We haven’t heard the same regarding Vogt, but everything is on the table right now for Oakland.

29-32. Lefty relievers Boone Logan & Jake McGee (Rockies), Fernando Abad (Twins), Zach Duke (White Sox) — Teams looking for an extra lefty down the stretch and into the post-season will have some interesting options to choose from, with the pure rental Logan perhaps representing the easiest trade asset. Abad, too, ought to be available, though Minnesota may hold onto him with a cheap year of arb control available.

33-37. Righty relievers Joe Smith & Huston Street (Angels), Jeanmar Gomez (Phillies), Daniel Hudson & Tyler Clippard (Diamondbacks) — As with the southpaws, each of these names has a little different blend of recent vs. broader track record and a slightly varied contract situation. But all are controlled for one more year or less, and all are eminently available for teams looking to bolster their bullpen depth.

38. Matt Kemp, OF, Padres — Yes, the contract is enormous and the OBP and glovework are terrifying. But Kemp has been much better over the last several months, and now has swatted six home runs in his last six games.

39-42. Starters Chris Archer (Rays), Julio Teheran (Braves), Anthony DeSclafani (Reds) & Matt Shoemaker (Angels) — There’s really been nothing to suggest that any of these pitchers are available, but we’ve also seen new possibilities arise as the market reacts to an imbalance between supply and demand in starting pitching. If the right offer materialized, it’s theoretically possible that any of these four hurlers could be dealt, though the odds still seem low.

43-46. Relievers Andrew Miller (Yankees), David Robertson (White Sox), Wade Davis (Royals) & Steve Cishek (Mariners) — Likewise, it’s still far from clear that any of these four arms will be made available. All come with future control, and none of their respective teams seem fully committed to selling. Miller and Davis, in particular, would require massive returns, with Robertson not far behind. Cishek is not really a premium asset, but the M’s would likely need something intriguing to motivate them to deal. (For what it’s worth, I originally had Miller ranked much higher, but dropped him with the latest reports suggesting he’ll stay if Chapman is dealt.)

47-50. 1B Chris Carter (Brewers), OF Melky Cabrera (White Sox), DH Kendrys Morales (Royals), 1B Adam Lind (Mariners) — Teams in search of veteran bats with some pop will be looking at this class of defensively-limited players, though none is certain to be dealt. Carter and Cabrera are hitting well this year, but the Brewers could keep the former given his affordable arb control and the White Sox may not want to part with their added year of control over the latter (even at a $15MM price tag) unless they make other, more dramatic moves. Morales and Lind are pure rentals, with the former also coming with an unlikely-to-be-exercised mutual option, but neither is performing all that well.

Injured:

Tyson Ross & Jon Jay (Padres), Sean Doolittle (Athletics), Trevor Plouffe (Twins), Arodys Vizcaino (Braves), Austin Jackson & Alex Avila (White Sox)

Just Missed:

Hector Santiago & Fernando Salas (Angels) — The Angels could conceivably have a reasonably active deadline if they’re willing to sell pitching, but that seems unlikely.

Sonny Gray, Khris Davis, Coco Crisp, Ryan Madson, Marc Rzepczynski, Yonder Alonso & Billy Butler (Athletics) — Oakland could be the busiest team in baseball — at least since the Padres have already moved so many of their own pieces. The A’s are already calling up young players to the majors in possible preparation for a sell-off.

Ender Inciarte, Nick Markakis, Gordon Beckham, A.J. Pierzynski & Jim Johnson (Braves) — With Teheran largely out of bounds and Vizcaino shelved, it’s likely that Atlanta will be focused on a few minor deals. Inciarte hasn’t hit a ton and we haven’t heard his name much, so odds are he stays.

Carlos Torres & Tyler Thornburg (Brewers) — Milwaukee may control the relief market — at least so long as teams like the Yankees, White Sox, and Royals keep their big chips off the table.

Welington Castillo (Diamondbacks) — There’s no indication that Weli is available; it seems to be a bullpen-only sale at Chase Field.

Joaquin Benoit, Seth Smith, Adam Lind, Dae-ho Lee, Nori Aoki, Franklin Gutierrez & Wade Miley (Mariners) — A lot of these players could plug some gaps in other rosters. But it really isn’t clear how interested Seattle is in selling in the first year of a whole new front office and upper management group.

Yangervis Solarte, Brad Hand & Alexei Ramirez (Padres) — Solarte and Hand probably have more value to San Diego, given their cheap control, than they do as trade assets. Ramirez just isn’t hitting, but could still end up being a middle-infield fill-in at some point for a contender.

David Hernandez, Andrew Bailey, Freddy Galvis & Carlos Ruiz (Phillies) — None of these players is playing at a particularly high level at the moment, but all could conceivably be dealt.

Logan Morrison, Erasmo Ramirez, Xavier Cedeno & Desmond Jennings (Rays) — The real key to the Rays’ summer is in controllable starting pitching, but a few other pieces could move as well — potentially as kick-ins in a bigger trade.

Mark Reynolds, Nick Hundley & Ryan Raburn (Rockies) — This veteran trio could be useful elsewhere. Hundley would make for a nice under-the-radar trade target, though I wonder whether the Rox will prefer to keep him around for their young pitchers — and possibly try to bring him back for 2017.

Lorenzo Cain, Edinson Volquez, Kelvin Herrera, Luke Hochevar, Chien-Ming Wang & Dillon Gee (Royals) — Kansas City is reportedly considering some sales, but it’s hard to guess how far they’ll go. While a targeted move or two could make sense, beyond that it seems like an all-or-nothing decision given how many key assets are soon reaching free agency.

Robbie Grossman, Kurt Suzuki & Brandon Kintzler (Twins) — These two have emerged as somewhat surprising trade possibilities for a Minnesota team that hasn’t had much to celebrate in 2016. But all have control remaining, so the Twins may prefer to keep them around to fill needs next year.

Todd Frazier, Brett Lawrie, Jose Abreu, Adam Eaton, James Shields, Chris Sale, Jose Quintana (White Sox) — If there’s one team that could take over the trade market, it may be the White Sox. They’ve got top-quality assets in every category. But count me among those who aren’t convinced that any truly major pieces will end up being shipped out — even if there’s more daylight than ever before on a sale of Sale after his recent dust-up with the organization.

Nathan Eovaldi, Michael Pineda, Brett Gardner, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez (Yankees) — It’s possible we’ll see a deal involving Eovaldi or Pineda, but the smart money remains on the Yanks retaining both in hopes that they’ll bounce back.

MLBTR Originals

By Connor Byrne | July 24, 2016 at 8:06am CDT

Here’s a recap of the original analysis MLBTR offered this week:

If Athletics southpaw Rich Hill gets past his blister issues, he should end up as one of the most sought-after players available around the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline. Thus, Mark Polishuk analyzed several contenders that could acquire the 36-year-old and tried to find the best match.
Jeff Todd ran down this summer’s trade market for shortstops and first baseman, and Steve Adams did the same for second basemen.
Jason Martinez listed nine highly regarded prospects whom their current teams could move for immediate help at the deadline. Pirates center fielder Austin Meadows leads the way.
This week’s installment of Jason’s “Knocking Down The Door” series features five more prospects trying to earn major league promotions. Notables include Phillies shortstop J.P. Crawford and Rockies outfielder David Dahl.
With the first half of the season in the rearview mirror, I examined 15 players who settled for short-term deals over the winter and have since outperformed those contracts this year.

9 Potential Top Prospect Trade Chips

By Jason Martinez | July 22, 2016 at 12:55pm CDT

When discussing top prospect trade chips, it’s important to note the difference between those who simply have the most value versus those who are most likely to be traded due to an abundance of organizational depth or talent ahead of them at the Major League level.

For example, Red Sox infield prospect Yoan Moncada might have more value than any prospect in baseball. His Double-A teammate, Andrew Benintendi, isn’t far behind. Yet, neither is on this list. Both have a pretty clear path to the MLB roster with their current organization in the very near future—Moncada as the starting third baseman and Benintendi in left field—which makes that the more likely scenario. Of course, if the Red Sox really wanted to make a splash and acquire an impact player signed beyond 2016—think Chris Sale—they’d have to be willing to part with at least one of them.

The players listed below might not be completely blocked from a starting job in the big leagues, as was the case with the recently-traded Dan Vogelbach, but some of them have obstacles for at least the next couple of seasons. Likewise, the players’ respective organizations are in a position to take the risk of a trade, because of sufficient depth, in order to improve their chances to win a championship in 2016.

1. Austin Meadows, CF, Pittsburgh Pirates

Even for Austin Meadows, who has quickly become one of the best outfield prospects in the game, there isn’t a spot available in the Pirates’ outfield for the foreseeable future with Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco locked up to long-term deals and Andrew McCutchen signed through 2017 with a very team-friendly club option for 2018.

After missing time with an orbital fracture suffered during Spring Training, Meadows posted an impressive .976 OPS with 16 doubles, eight triples, six homers and nine stolen bases in only 45 Double-A games. He had a 24-game hitting streak when he was promoted to Triple-A Indianapolis on June 18th. If not for a hamstring injury that’s sidelined him for the entire month of July and the fact that he’s blocked by three of the best outfielders in baseball, there would be plenty of buzz surrounding his potential call-up for the stretch run.

The Pirates have been hesitant to trade away any of their top prospects in recent years. But with the 21-year-old Meadows capable of contributing at the Major League level no later than mid-2017, it could finally be the right time to cash in on one of their biggest chips.

Pirates Depth Chart

2. Joey Gallo, 3B, Texas Rangers

When the Rangers gave Adrian Beltre a two-year contract extension through the 2018 season, it was clear that Joey Gallo wouldn’t be their starting third baseman anytime soon. His future big league position, at least with the Rangers, appeared to be as a first baseman or designated hitter. This meant that he’d have to leapfrog either Mitch Moreland, who had an .812 OPS in 2015, or Prince Fielder, who the Rangers are paying $18MM per season through 2020.

At this point of the season, it appears that this possibility is less likely than anticipated. Jurickson Profar’s return to health, position versatility and immense talent has resulted in another roadblock for Gallo. The former top prospect in baseball, Profar had worked his way into the mix as a utilityman with semi-regular playing time around the infield and at the designated hitter spot. With Fielder out indefinitely with a neck injury, Profar will take his at-bats while Moreland is still in Gallo’s way. Before you decide that Moreland should be benched in favor of Gallo, I should let you know that he has an OPS over .900 with seven homers since early June.

With Fielder facing an uncertain future if he has to undergo what would be his second surgery in three seasons for a herniated disc in his neck and Moreland eligible for free agency after the season, Gallo’s value to the Rangers is still high. But with first base prospect Ronald Guzman having a terrific season in Double-A, the Rangers could still be comfortable enough to deal the 22-year-old Gallo for an impact player who can help the 2016 team hold off the talented Astros for the AL West crown.

Rangers Depth Chart

3. Clint Frazier, OF, Cleveland Indians

Lonnie Chisenhall and Rajai Davis, who have been getting most of the starts in the corner outfield spots for the division-leading Indians, aren’t major roadblocks for a guy with Clint Frazier’s skill set. But it’s not that difficult to picture an outfield of Michael Brantley, Tyler Naquin and Chisenhall in 2017 with top prospect Bradley Zimmer pushing for playing time and super-utilityman Jose Ramirez also in the mix. Same for 2018, which would be Brantley’s last year under contract by virtue of an affordable $11MM club option.

It’s also easy to make a case for Brantley-Zimmer-Frazier being the most talented outfield combination in the organization. Why break that up? Because this might be the best Indians roster since the mid-to-late 90’s. Their starting pitching is championship-caliber. The bullpen, however, is suspect and they can also use a catcher. If they have a chance to significantly upgrade both areas in the same deal—Jonathan Lucroy, Jeremy Jeffress and Will Smith are said to be available—Frazier is the kind of prospect that can make that deal happen.

Indians Depth Chart

4. Francis Martes, SP, Houston Astros

I’m only going to write this one time, although it does apply to all three pitchers on this list: You can never have enough starting pitching! However, young starting pitchers with six years of team control have a ton of trade value, especially because the “sellers” typically don’t have nearly enough of it.

With Doug Fister likely to depart as a free agent after the season, the Astros have several good internal candidates to replace him in 2017. Joe Musgrove, Michael Feliz, David Paulino, Francis Martes and Brady Rodgers could all be in the mix. Those are all very good pitching prospects. All will be in the Major Leagues someday—Feliz is already there and has pitched very well out of the Houston bullpen—but not all will break into the Major Leagues with the Astros.

Aside from Rodgers, who profiles as a back-of-the-rotation starter, all of the aforementioned pitchers have at least mid-rotation potential. Because Martes has the highest ceiling—he’s holding his own in Double-A as a 20-year old (4.08 ERA, 81.2 IP, 75 H, 37 BB, 80 K)—he’d probably net them the biggest return in a deal.

Astros Depth Chart

5. Gleyber Torres, SS, Chicago Cubs

The Cubs’ position players aren’t just talented. They’re also versatile, which has allowed them to work some younger hitters into the mix who would otherwise be blocked if not for their ability to play multiple positions. Kris Bryant and Ben Zobrist, All-Stars at their regular spots, have also helped the cause with their ability to play several positions. Still, this is a roster that presents very little opportunity for an infielder hoping to break in the Major Leagues anytime over the next few years. That wouldn’t normally apply to a 19-year-old, but Gleyber Torres is on a faster track than most.

Torres is thriving in High-A with a .791 OPS and 18 stolen bases. Keep in mind that he started the year off with only six hits in his first 53 at-bats and has been one of the best players in the league since.

After acquiring Mike Montgomery to fill their need for a power lefty out of the bullpen, the Cubs might not need much more. But if they decide to do something big this month or in the offseason, Torres would be a nice centerpiece for any deal that would bring back an impact player.

Cubs Depth Chart

6. Cody Bellinger, 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers

It wouldn’t be unrealistic for first base prospect Cody Bellinger to finish off the 2016 season in Double-A, where he currently has a .778 OPS and 11 homers, play in Triple-A for at least the majority of 2017 and break into the Major Leagues as a 22-year-old in 2018. He could play in the outfield as a rookie—he’s spent time at all three outfield spots this season, but has Gold Glove potential as a first baseman—before taking over as Adrian Gonzalez’s successor the following season.

As easy as it is for me to look ahead to see how and when Bellinger fits in with the Dodgers, teams with close to a $250MM payroll are always in “win-now” mode. And the “win-now” Dodgers are also in serious need of some help with best pitcher on the planet Clayton Kershaw out indefinitely with a back injury. That means that Bellinger, who shot up the prospect ranking lists after hitting 30 homers and 33 doubles in his age-19 season with High-A Rancho Cucamonga, and any Minor Leaguer who isn’t expected to help in 2016 could very well be used as a trade chip.

Dodgers Depth Chart

7. Reynaldo Lopez, SP, Washington Nationals

Reynaldo Lopez’s big league audition as a starting pitcher did not go well, and that shouldn’t come as a total shock. He’s not ready to be a successful Major League starter. As a reliever in shorter stints, however, many believe that the 22-year-old can help the Nats right now. In fact, it’s more realistic to think he’ll be the team’s future closer rather than a starter in a rotation that doesn’t have a spot for him anytime soon.

Even if the Nats decline Gio Gonzalez’s $12MM club option for 2017, top prospect Lucas Giolito is next in line for a spot and there is still plenty of depth behind him, with Erick Fedde, A.J. Cole and Austin Voth each still in the mix as well. Lopez’s chances to break into the Major Leagues as a starting pitcher are better elsewhere, and a team that believes he can be a part of its rotation in the near future will place a high value on him in trade talks.

Nationals Depth Chart

8. Tyler Beede, SP, San Francisco Giants

Since drafting and winning championships with first-rounders Madison Bumgarner, Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum, the Giants have been unable to produce another great homegrown pitching star. They might not need one in 2016, especially if Cain can finally remain healthy, but there are a few that could make a case for a spot in the 2017 rotation, including Tyler Beede, Clayton Blackburn and Adalberto Mejia.

But with only one expected opening—Jake Peavy will be a free agent after the season—the Giants find themselves in a position of strength with the ability to deal a young starting pitcher with upside in order to improve their chances of winning a fourth World Series title this decade. Beede, a former first-round pick out of Vanderbilt that could pitch near the top of a rotation, is the one that teams will be asking for the most during trade talks.

Giants Depth Chart

9. Amed Rosario, SS, New York Mets

The offseason signing of Asdrubal Cabrera, the mid-season return of Jose Reyes and a second consecutive strong season in the upper minors from former first-round pick Gavin Cecchini hasn’t overshadowed the season that shortstop prospect Amed Rosario is having. In 90 games between Double-A Binghamton and High-A St. Lucie, the 20-year-old has put together a .323/.374/.466 slash line.

If the Mets, who are only 1.5 games out in the Wild Card race, don’t believe that they can overcome their injury woes and make another run similar to 2015, they won’t make any major trades before the Aug.1 non-waiver deadline. But if that’s not the case and they’re not ready to give up on their playoff hopes, they’ll need to add some talent to the roster. Rosario will net the best return out of any of their minor league assets.

Mets Depth Chart

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