With trade season entering full swing, we’ll be doing these lists with greater frequency. We last checked in about a week ago. Click here for the first one, including an explanation of the approach. Basically, we’re looking at both trade likelihood and trade value (in all its facets).
Since last we looked, several players have gone on or off the DL, while others have exhibited trends that warrant consideration. The standings have shifted the calculus, too.
On to the rankings (“LR” = “last ranked”):
1. J.D. Martinez, OF, Tigers (LR: 2): Maybe I’m just itching to name a new top dog, but at some point it’s hard to ignore the fact that Martinez represents a potentially season-altering rental piece. The OPS remains over 1.000.
2. Sonny Gray, SP, Athletics (LR: 10): After two straight gems, Gray jumps back up the board. Teams aren’t just hanging on his every start, of course, but that serves to show that things are generally coming together for Gray. The results are beginning to match the improved peripherals he has sported this year, and the A’s seem ready to make this long-debated move.
3. Addison Reed, RH Reliever, Mets (LR: 7): He’s been dominant since taking over the 9th for the Mets and could be the best right-handed reliever available. Barring a stunning run, New York looks to be a clear seller, with the deadline representing a nice consolation opportunity to cash in on some players who’ll be free agents at year end.
4. David Robertson, RH Reliever, White Sox (LR: 1): Still the market’s most obviously available Certified Closer, Robertson is pitching quite well. But he has been overtaken by the above three players, with his large contract continuing to impact his value.
5. Zack Cozart, SS, Reds (LR: INJ): Cozart is back from the DL, sporting top-line offensive numbers as an outstanding up-the-middle defender. Even with a few contenders suffering injuries to shortstops, demand remains unclear, and there’s even some chatter that the team could explore an extension. Odds are, though, that Cozart will end up on the move.
6. Justin Wilson (Tigers) & Brad Hand (Padres), LH Reliever, (LR: 8): Wilson has eight strikeouts in his last 4 1/3 innings. In Hand’s most recent appearance, he struck out Francisco Lindor, Michael Brantley, and Edwin Encarnacion in succession.
8. Yonder Alonso, 1B, Athletics (LR: 6): Entering play yesterday, Alonso hadn’t swatted a long ball since June 15th and was in clear (albeit still brief) lull at the plate. He responded with two July 4th dingers. Teams will no doubt retain a bit of skepticism as to whether Alonso can maintain the full-throated breakout he has displayed to this point, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be valued in the market.
9. Jed Lowrie, 2B/3B, Athletics (LR: 4): Lowrie is a useful player with some defensive versatility who remains eminently available.
10. Jose Quintana, SP, White Sox (LR: 5): The consistency just hasn’t been there for Quintana. While Chicago still seems rather likely to trade him, his value is certainly not at its peak.
11. Pat Neshek, RH Reliever, Phillies (LR: 3): Neshek finally turned in a dud of an outing, but even after allowing three earned he owns a 1.39 ERA on the year.
12. Alex Avila, C, Tigers (LR: 31): Trade rumors have picked up on the veteran catcher, whose suddenly potent left-handed bat might add real impact down the stretch. Sure, his .424 BABIP is bound to fall, but Avila has shown real power before and he’s also walking at an excellent 16.8% clip.
13. Todd Frazier, 3B, White Sox (LR: 17): Frazier mashed in June. Several contenders seem in need of help at third. And it’s not clear any better alternatives will be available. Those factors ought to boost the prospect return and cost savings that’ll be available to the White Sox.
14. Lucas Duda (1B), Jay Bruce (OF), Curtis Granderson (OF), Mets (LR: 26): All three are hitting even as the Mets’ season collapses. Granderson is banged up but hasn’t required a DL stint.
17. Trevor Cahill, SP, Padres (LR: INJ): Cahill carried an impressive 3.27 ERA with 51 strikeouts through 41 1/3 innings when he hit the DL with a shoulder strain. He threw rather well in his first start back and has plenty of time to show that the joint is at full health. Cahill is a cheap rental piece (one-year, $1.75MM contract) who is posting a 13.2% swinging-strike rate and 62.3% groundball rate. Interest should be robust if he can keep that going over his next few starts.
18. Juan Nicasio, RH Reliever, Pirates (LR: 22): He’s working near his peak career levels in terms of velocity and whiff rate, with the results to match. Nicasio’s affordable contract increases his appeal.
19. Ryan Madson (RH Reliever) & Sean Doolittle (LH Reliever), Athletics; David Phelps & AJ Ramos, RH Reliever, Marlins (LR: 11): I’m keeping these four pitchers bunched together for the time being; different arms, to be sure, but they seem to fall in a similar asset class and situation. All play for clear sellers; all are generally pretty danged good relievers; and all come with some warts that dent their trade value (respectively: contract; health; inconsistency; wildness).
23. Andrew McCutchen (Pirates) & Marcell Ozuna (Marlins), OF (LR: 29, 19): The Bucs are now seven games off the NL Central pace with three teams ahead of them in the standings. McCutchen’s season OPS has risen from .631 on May 26th to .894 (!) entering action today. Ozuna has kept the fire going all year long and comes with two years of arb control. But nobody knows whether either will really be marketed.
25. Justin Verlander, SP, Tigers (LR: 41): Chatter is building on Verlander even as his struggles continue. It’ll be tough for the Tigers to deal such a central figure for an unexciting return, but at some point some tough calls will need to be made if the team is serious about trimming its payroll and getting younger.
26. Jerry Blevins, LH Reliever, Mets (LR: 24): Blevins has been knocked around a bit of late, taking some of the sheen off of his body of work this year, but he’s still a quality lefty who’ll hold broad interest. With an appealing option for 2018, New York won’t feel compelled to move him.
27. Tony Watson, LH Reliever, Pirates (LR: 22): Watson has struggled to keep runners off the bags all year long, but he has mostly maintained the peripherals that have made him a reliable late-inning arm for several years.
28. Melky Cabrera, OF, White Sox (LR: 17): The offensive work continues to improve for the veteran, who’s a clear trade piece. But others have moved past Cabrera given his limitations in the field and big salary.
29. Scott Feldman (SP), Drew Storen (RH Reliever), Tony Cingrani (LH Reliever), Reds (LR: 37, 26, NR): The steady veteran has separated himself a bit from the herd of back-of-the-rotation starters with a run of strong performances. His season ERA is down to 3.78 and he’s also quite affordable ($3.2MM salary). Storen still looks like a solid option to bolster a contender’s middle relief corps. And Cingrani enters the list after returning strong from a DL stint.
32. Welington Castillo (Orioles) & Jonathan Lucroy (Rangers), C (LR: 30, NR): With top prospect Chance Sisco waiting in the wings, the O’s could conceivably try to find some value for Castillo without punting a shot at a postseason berth altogether. The Rangers seem to be open to considering deals for Lucroy, a pending free agent, as he struggles through a down year while Robinson Chirinos produces.
34. Marco Estrada & Francisco Liriano, SP, Blue Jays (LR: 48, NR): The Jays are fading and these two veterans just aren’t performing. But each comes with his share of upside and would be fairly easy to move (so long as Toronto eats some salary) as rental assets.
36. Ian Kinsler (2B) & Justin Upton (OF), Tigers (LR: 20): I covered some of the nuances involved in these veterans in the last ranking, so we won’t repeat that here. Both are coming off of productive stretches over the month of June and could represent notable additions, but come with contract complications.
38. Brandon Kintzler, RH Reliever, Twins (LR: 45): While the team is holding firmly in contention, and could still look to add controllable pieces, Kintzler would likely be the first player to be made available in the event that the Twins decide to sell.
39. Zach Britton (LH Reliever) & Brad Brach (RH Reliever), Orioles (LR: INJ): Forearm injuries have limited Britton (he’s only just back from a second DL stint) and he hasn’t been as dominant as he was last year when he has been healthy. And even if Baltimore ultimately decides to move some players, it needn’t deal a pitcher with another year of arbitration remaining. But … if Britton can show over the next three weeks that he’s again capable of being an unholy groundball/strikeout monster and the AL Wild Card race begins to resolve against the Orioles’ favor, then perhaps there’s a chance he could be a significant part of the deadline tapestry. Brach could also, or alternatively, be shopped; he has been quite good in his own right and comes with one more year of arb control as well.
41. Jeff Samardzija (Giants), Johnny Cueto (Giants), Gerrit Cole (Pirates), Ervin Santana (Twins) & J.A. Happ (Blue Jays), SP (LR: 41, 41, 41, 45, NR): Happ joins this group of quality starters, all of whom would hold clear trade interest– if they are made available. Their respective teams’ inclinations remain unclear; while the Giants would no doubt be glad to achieve a return on Cueto, his situation remains complicated by his pending opt-out clause.
46. Asdrubal Cabrera, INF, Mets (LR: 35): He’s swinging the bat well and affords defensive versatility, but he and the team have been making nice since a recent spat and the Mets could well decide to pick up his 2018 option.
47. Seth Smith (Orioles), Matt Joyce (Athletics) & Daniel Nava (Phillies), OF (LR: 47, NR): All are left-handed-hitting platoon outfielders (Nava’s a switch-hitter who’s better against righties) who could fill a need elsewhere.
50. Edinson Volquez & Tom Koehler (Marlins), Clayton Richard (Padres), Jaime Garcia (Braves), Jeremy Hellickson (Phillies) SP (LR: 37): These five are subjecting their teams to roller coaster rides. It’s plausible to imagine trade scenarios, but none figure to be in particularly heavy demand. Teams looking for innings may shop here, though.
55. Yu Darvish, SP, Rangers (LR: NR): Darvish would be the top rental starter if made available. While the team continues to stall out, it likely won’t sell unless the Wild Card is truly out of reach. And even then, it seems there’s at least some belief within the organization that holding onto Darvish will help with efforts to re-sign him over the winter — perhaps helping also to draw fellow Japanese star Shohei Otani.
56. Josh Donaldson, 3B, Blue Jays (LR: NR): Speaking of trade candidates of dubious availability, the Toronto superstar would be a hot commodity if marketed. But Toronto has not yet shown signs of being willing to part with such a key player. Donaldson has another arb year left; it’d undoubtedly take a big return (likely including young MLB assets) to pry him loose.
57. Raisel Iglesias, RH Reliever, Reds (LR: 49): He won’t be shopped, but could probably had for a compelling offer.
58. Rajai Davis, OF, Athletics (LR: NR): While he hasn’t hit much, Davis has been better of late and has the profile of a player who could make an impact on a postseason roster. He’d also represent a possible August trade candidate.
59. Matt Adams, 1B, Braves (LR: NR): It’s still tough to guess at how things will shake out with Atlanta. But if Sean Rodriguez does return as now seems to be expected, and Freddie Freeman isn’t a really comfortable fit at third base, then perhaps the club will deem the timing right to get some value out of Adams at the deadline.
60. Freddy Galvis, SS, Phillies (LR: NR): Galvis has been hitting rather well this year and is a quality shortstop who can also line up elsewhere in the infield.
Falling Out
Tommy Kahnle (White Sox): A few rough outings make it seem more likely that Chicago will hold onto him and hope he can continue to establish himself as a quality late-inning arm.
Adeiny Hechavarria (Marlins) & Stephen Vogt (Athletics): Both were traded (to the Rays and Brewers, respectively).
Lance Lynn & Seung-hwan Oh, Cardinals: A surge has the Cards firmly in the NL Central mix.
Inactive
Nate Jones (White Sox), Neil Walker (Mets), Cesar Hernandez & Vince Velasquez (Phillies), J.J. Hardy (Orioles), Yangervis Solarte (Padres), Eduardo Nunez & Mark Melancon (Giants), Joe Smith (Blue Jays), Brad Ziegler (Marlins), Chris Coghlan (Blue Jays), Howie Kendrick (Phillies), Hector Santiago (Twins)
Also Considered
Angels: Yunel Escobar, Cameron Maybin, J.C. Ramirez, Jesse Chavez, Ricky Nolasco, Yusmeiro Petit, David Hernandez, Bud Norris
Athletics: Rajai Davis, Matt Joyce, Santiago Casilla, John Axford
Blue Jays: Jose Bautista, Justin Smoak, Francisco Liriano, Roberto Osuna, Aaron Loup
Braves: Jim Johnson, Arodys Vizcaino, R.A. Dickey, Julio Teheran, Matt Adams, Matt Kemp, Nick Markakis, Brandon Phillips & Kurt Suzuki
Cardinals: Michael Wacha, Trevor Rosenthal
Giants: Nick Hundley, Hunter Pence, Matt Cain, Denard Span, George Kontos, Joe Panik
Mariners: Nelson Cruz, Carlos Ruiz, Marc Rzepczynski, Steve Cishek, Jarrod Dyson
Marlins: Dan Straily, Kyle Barraclough, Adam Conley, Christian Yelich, Giancarlo Stanton, Junichi Tazawa
Mets: Fernando Salas, Josh Edgin, Jose Reyes
Orioles: Manny Machado, Hyun Soo Kim, Wade Miley, Mychal Givens, Darren O’Day
Padres: Jhoulys Chacin, Ryan Buchter, Brandon Maurer, Craig Stammen, Kirby Yates
Phillies: Joaquin Benoit, Hector Neris
Pirates: Josh Harrison, Ivan Nova, Wade LeBlanc, David Freese, Jordy Mercer
Rangers: Mike Napoli, Carlos Gomez, Adrian Beltre, Andrew Cashner, Tyson Ross, Jeremy Jeffress
Reds: Billy Hamilton
Tigers: Miguel Cabrera, Jose Iglesias, Shane Greene, Alex Wilson, Victor Martinez
Twins: Robbie Grossman, Phil Hughes
White Sox: Miguel Gonzalez, Jose Abreu, Anthony Swarzak, James Shields, Avisail Garcia, Mike Pelfrey, Derek Holland
Might be worth adding Alex Cobb to the list, even if it is just in the “also considered” section. With his contract being up after the year I can’t imagine the Rays holding on to him and letting him walk in the offseason without getting anything for him when they have so many in-house rotation options
He has been listed in past iterations, but I have dropped the Rays for now given their place in the standings (and, w/r/t Cobb, the rotation depth questions). It’ll be a week-by-week call. I realize they have alternatives, but with Andriese out it seems much less likely to me.
Thank you..why do Cobb and Archer appear in these threads so much. The Rays are competing,not 20 games out of anything.
Jeff, a thought: I love how you have the instant links to the players’ baseball-reference page on posts like this, but could you also do that on the future free agent list page too? Would be nice to be able to immediately be able to pull up all these players baseball-reference pages
mlbtraderumors.com/2016/08/2017-18-mlb-free-agent-…
good idea
Quintana has turned his season around. Has been throwing his changeup more. He’s been great his last 6-7 starts.
Last start was iffy. But the slight slip in his ranking is really more about trade likelihood than anything. The other guys pushing up the list just seem like really clear pieces to be moved now — given their play, contract, and team status — whereas there’s still a fully plausible scenario in my mind where the White Sox hold onto Q through at least to the offseason.
Consider him vs. Gray:
– A’s are actively pushing new crop and have lots of young pitchers they want to be throwing in the majors now; Sox are trotting out a variety of middling veterans still
– Gray has had injury & performance issues (risk to OAK) and is now on the ascendant … plus there are stories suggesting they are really ramping up to deal him; Q has not been at his best this year and Sox have insisted they are holding out for full value
– Gray is throwing well right now, so teams may give a bigger premium to get him right now, thus increasing the incentives for the A’s to go ahead and get it done; not to say Q isn’t appealing in that regard also, but more of his value is tied up in the 3 years of fixed-price control — again giving the Sox more cause to set their price and stick to it even if it’s not met this summer
Agreed that last start was far from great, but he did have a defense behind him that was kicking around the ball all game. Not many pitchers are going to put up great numbers when the defense makes 4 errors in the first couple innings. That’s a lot of extra, unnecessary pitching to ask for. Unfortunately Swarzak couldn’t close the door and gave up 2 more runs (charged to Q) after Q left. HIs stat line would’ve looked a lot better, albeit still not great had that been the case.
Next start against Colorado should be an interesting one. Holding out hope that he looks fantastic and completely shuts them down, leading Colorado to trade for him with a package centered around Rodgers. One can dream, right?
That’s true. The defense did him no favors. Made 4 errors I believe (2 in one inning).
Don’t see Rodgers being dealt. But fair points on Quintana’s start. Didn’t mean to suggest it weighed heavily or anything — like I said, it’s more about the remaining possibility he won’t be traded than anything else.
I agree with you 100%. I don’t see Rodgers being dealt either, unfortunately.
Unfortunately for the Sox, Sonny’s schedule has shaped up quite well for his trade value recently. He’s pitching against the Sox bad offense again tonight after shutting them down a couple weeks ago, and he faced Atlanta’s bad offense in between those starts. Before those 2 starts (and I’m assuming another dominant one tonight), he was having a really bad month. He put up an ERA just over 5 in his last 4 starts vs HOU, NYY, TBR, and WAS. In his start before that, he gave up 7 earned in 4.2 to CLE.
Unfortunately, Quintana is going to be pitching in COL next start after facing TEX and NYY in his previous 2. I’m with you in saying that he seems to have turned his season around, but for teams that are “hanging on every start,” I’m not looking forward to him pitching in Colorado. That being said, I also wasn’t looking forward to him facing the Yankees, and he did a heck of a job with that. If he can shut down Colorado in Colorado, that’ll be huge.
I’m assuming front offices are smart enough not to just look at overall stat lines and take into account the level of competition/difficulty pitchers are facing each start, but for the sake of his stat line, I’d much rather have him facing a couple bottom feeders leading up to the deadline.
Agree, his June ERA was 1.78. He’s basically back to form. Agree with Jeff though that Gray is more likely to be traded because the A’s are in a more desperate position. If Q keeps pitching the way he has, I’d be shocked if he’s still here after July 31.
Who thinks the cubs should keep their prospects over trading for Verlander?
Everyone outside of Detroit
I’m outside of Detroit and I’d love to see Cubs trade for verlander. Surely it wouldn’t become an albatross contract for them
Good point. I didn’t take into account other teams in the NL Central. I should’ve said the only people that want to see Verlander traded to the Cubs for any combination of their top prospects are Detroit, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh fans. That should cover it, no?
I think he ends up with the dodgers or astros
Actually, I would prefer that Justin Verlander remain a Detroit Tiger his entire career.
I want to see Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez moved. Having them 3-4 in the lineup clogging the basepath makes the rest of the team behind them a station to station baserunner.
Nobody wants to take on Cabrera’s contract, V-Mart is not the same since 2014.
as a dodgers fan. I say they do it!!
Are those the only two possible outcomes, though? Given the circumstances, it seems reasonable the Cubs could acquire Verlander w/o sacrificing very much prospect-wise (difficult as that may be for Detroit to swallow, as the article notes).
Verlander’s pedigree is appealing and he can still be dominant at times, but he’s sporting a 4.97 ERA (4.37 FIP) and 4.3 BB/9, and his recent performance has been unspectacular and inconsistent, at best. He’s also in his age-34 season with ~2.5 yrs/$70M left on his contract. And Detroit lacks much in the way of leverage as it continues to try to move aging vets with prohibitively expensive contracts, improve its payroll situation, and get younger.
Verlander’s H9 & BB9 are up about 2.0 while his K9 is down ~2.0 over last year. His HR is pretty much the same as last year. His numbers aren’t that different from Lackey’s & I don’t think any Cubs fan would be in favor of paying Lackey 28M next year & ~14M this year, much less give up prospects to do it. If it was just taking in the contract you might could see it being worth the risk, but not if you are parting with prospects also
I really think some Yankee free agents and veterans should be added to the list. This team needs to go back to the plan started last year and not be swayed by the early success of April and May!
CC, Ellsbury, Headly, Refsnider, Pineda, Clippard, Hicks maybe would be a start. I would like to see them get Nova back.
Yeah the ignored the Yankees on this list last year too. Yankees will cash in some older chips.
once marte comes back, cutch might as well get traded.
Angels are in a tough spot. They are in the wild card race thanks to incredible parity in the AL. They are also under .500 and in desperate need of minor league depth. I really feel the smart move would be to trade short term pieces like Maybin, Escobar, Petit and Norris. Those players are the main reason the Angels have an outside shot at the wildcard spot but I just don’t think the 2017 Angels are a playoff quality team. I think it is time to sell with an eye on 2018-2020.
If the angels had a healthy rotation led by richards • skaggs • shoemaker, they would be buyers
Maybe, maybe not. Either way the Angels certainly shouldn’t consider buying right now.
They need to be big buyers next season , they need to add a bat like frazier or moustakus. Adding to the rotation as well with arrieta , darvish , hellickson , alex cobb on the market plus estrada
yeah, but they don’t. So what’s the point
They have nothing to offer in trades though. Farm is still horrific.
Couldn’t agree more. The team is set up with replacements at most of those positions too. Pen has some nice depth with Bedrock/Keynan/Parker/Morin so losing Bud/Petit/Norris/Henlrnandez/and or Street wouldnt hurt too bad. Valbuena is under contract and can play 3B next yr as can Cowart (though the bat may be a little rough). The only hole created would be LF and we could re-sign Maybin if nothing else.
they should go after j.d martinez or lorenzo cain for left field if they don’t resign maybin. moustakus or frazier to play third for depth. they will be getting heaney and tropeano back in the rotation
I just don’t see a Verlander deal happening. They’re either going to have to give him away for nothing, or swap for a similarly unpleasant contract. No team is going to have much of an incentive to give up much of value to take on the worlds most expensive reclaim project.
He might go to the dodgers. I don’t see the cubs dishing out young talent for him.
I’d be shocked if he’s moved. No one will match the ridiculous asking prize.
Cubs for example, trade for verlander take on his contract, or resign arrieta?
1.00 WHIP, 254 Ks is a “reclaim project”?
Seriously?
Those are his numbers from last year.
We don’t live in last year.
What are his stats for this year?
Cubs won the WS last year & are a .500 team now. They should of traded him last year if they wanted a big return. No one is trading top prospects to pay an older pitcher ~40-45M when he’s playing like he has this season. If he was younger & had better periphials then maybe they could justify it.
With Gray, Alonso, Lowrie, Madson, Doolittle and K.Davis available to other teams, the A’s should get 2 really good young and controlable outfielders, who can play left and center plus some pitching help. There should although be money to spend for 2018- no more paying for Butler, Plouffe, Axford, R.Davis, Vogt and the guys I mentioned at the beginning of my comment. So if they can’t get satisfying outfielders in July they can try to sign Lorenzo Cain, but if thing hopefully work out they can just spend it all on pitching and extentions. So I really expect my A’s to compete in 2018.
Strongly agreed, and maybe Cain doesn’t even need to sign if say, Beane pries Almora from the Cubs or Tapia from Rox for anyone from the guys you listed.
They do need bullpen upgrades though, I’d grab Neshek again and try for Wade Davis. The Santiago Casilla experience is always a nightmare to endure.
Also, Ryon Healy has 153 games in his career with only 24 walks and 147 strikeouts, I’d trade him before Khris Davis, who has elevated his game in recent weeks and currently has even better slash line than his last couple years, and has increased his OPS 4 years in a row now. He should be the everyday DH with Healy gone. Sucks, but you can’t play 2 DH-types in an everyday lineup, its why their defense has been atrocious in recent years. I’d also resign Alonso this offseason after trading him, especially after yesterday’s advice to Barreto, who promptly tripled and homered. Alonso at 1B, Khrush DH, Healy gone is how they should do it.
I really like Ryon Healy, I think he can be an even better hitter than he is now, K.Davis will get expensive and there are only 2 years of control left after 2017, he’s been hot lately so maybe the A’s could get something good for him.
Bullpen needs to be upgraded, I think Wade Davis will be too expensive, but with Reed, Clippard, Gregerson, Neshek, McGee and more relievers available the A’s could sign like 2 or 3 guys like that.
I would like to have Alonso back, but I wouldn’t offer more than 3/30mln. I really believe he is a better hitter, he made changes to his swing, so I don’t think he is just on a lucky hot streak.
Why do you like Healy though? He’s a butcher in the field and has terrible plate discipline, he cant take a walk to save his life. He’s kind of like Billy Butler when Butler was a decent regular, and even when Butler was good he was still “meh”. Khrush Davis leads MLB in homers over the last calendar year and keeps improving his hitting, although he will always have the worst arm in the game. Davis is far and away a more valuable piece than Healy. I’d rather have Olson on the team instead of Healy tbh.
I’d offer Alonso 4/50 but I’d also trade for Machado this offseason for a package of pitchers and Semien, and move him back to SS. Imagine having an INF of Chapman-Machado-Barreto-Alonso? DAMN.
If A’s want Machado they’re better off keeping their pitchers and signing him in free agency a year from now. Probably out of their price range tho.
Healy is only 25 and has real power, I think he can finish the year with 30+HR and a 830 OPS. I think he can still improve his plate discipline, the thing about him is that a lot of the contact he makes is really good, a lot of the pitches down he can reach and pull them for a double. I really believe he will be having years with a OPS over 900 in the future.
JV was the best pitcher in the AL last year. He lost the Cy Young because TWO Tampa writers left him off their ballot completely. He beat Porcello in EVERY stat except wins and “team on front of Jersey”.
Even this year, he has been very good if you exclude his three disasters against the Indians when it is possible, even probable that he was tipping pitches.
oh, so when you exclude the times he was bad, he was good? Great argument.
He was likely tipping pitches. I do care that all three of his disasters were against the same team, because the results likely do not have to do with his arm. His velocity is still up there.
Love the stat minions who do not actually watch the games. That is you, isn’t it? You have not actually watched JV pitch this year. Am I correct?
Who cares about the Cy Young balloting? They gave Zito a Cy over Pedro in his all-world years because Zito had a couple more pitcher wins. MLB awards were really stupidly voted on until very recently. Porcello and Verlander were both dominant last year, Porcello wasn’t an awful winner anyway but who cares about this dumb point, Verlander has declined starting in 2017 and everyone knows it. 2016 was his last hurrah as an elite SP – FACT.
I find this to be a very informative and useful feature.
Though it would be nice if you explained what “LR” means. I had to dig through old articles to figure it out. It’s not even explained in the two previous ones you linked to in the intro.
Added a note!
The A’s are about to cake up with ready-now prospects or even current logjammed young stars with Gray, Alonso, Lowrie (3rd in MLB in doubles), Madson having a career year and Doolittle being the highest ceiling reliever available (but obviously with health concerns).
They need upgrades in all 3 OF positions and C. They have enough pitching. Pretty sure they will be targeting guys like Almora & Eloy from the Cubs and Tapia from the Rox. The above group of guys are upgrades to every contender and have tons of value. Can’t wait to see Beane work his midyear magic again (and hopefully for the last time because the youth is looking gooood and they’re not too far off from contending).
I really would like to see the rockies and dbacks over take the dodgers for the top spot in the nl west, The rockies need another pitcher and maybe another bat. The cubs need to add to the rotation and another bullpen piece.
I think the A’s are going to be happy with Bruce Maxwell right now and Sean Murphy in the minors, he just got promoted to AA, could be soon ready to play in MLB. Bruce has been good defensively and not bad offensively, I think he can be the regular guy next year with Phegley as the backup and the A’s will be OK with that.
Still need depth and injuries always happen. 2 potential MLB regular catchers is nowhere near enough and I’m not convinced Maxwell is a good defender, he looks like a work in progress back there and was a 1B until the A’s drafted him so he’s still learning. He’s fine to try out this year but we’ll know more about him the more the league sees of him. They definitely don’t have a lot of depth at C for sure.
“the youth is looking good and they’re not far off from contending”..same thing that is said almost every year at this time.
No it isn’t. The A’s were horrible in 2015 and 2016 and the youth was iffy at best. Sure, delusional fans will tell you otherwise but I wasn’t too excited by Mark Canha, Billy Burns, Max Muncy, Brett Lawrie & Sean Nolin.
I’ve watched every game Chapman and Barreto have played this year and I haven’t seen talent like that in a long time. Chapman’s defense at 3B is like watching Brooks Robinson, he’s utterly amazing over there, he’s like the Andrelton of 3Bmen. He could OPS .600 and still be 3 WAR player. Barreto has so much power and is showing good plate discipline, already upping his BB rate to 9.5%, up from his horrible 5.5% in the minors. He’s making adjustments and changes every day and its great to watch. Lots of maturity for a 21 year old there.
What kind of return could the Mets get for Reed and would any team be willing to give up something big for Blevins and Reed together
I guess they could get a team’s nr 5 prospect plus a lottery ticket, the duo isn’t as valuable as Doolittle with Madson, but still, the Nats could offer a package with Feede as the main guy plus Stephenson and other guys, I mean something like that.
I know that he isn’t considered by everyone as a top option, but I seriously wonder how affordable it would be for teams looking for controllable pitching to acquire Jeff Samardizja. $18 million is not as expensive as it used to be (in the MLB at least). A team might could swap out another contract with the Giants too. I wouldn’t think he’d be terribly expensive to acquire and he’d be able to improve many teams rotations. The Shark’s ERA isn’t great but the other numbers look quite decent.
Samardzija has negative trade value. Giants would have to pay part of his contract and take back like a AAAA reliever to get rid of him. Teams aren’t going to give up actual prospects for a guy they didn’t even want to give all that money to a year and a half ago who hasn’t made good on that investment.
That is more or less what I was thinking. I had even suggested swapping out another contract as part of the deal.
I can’t help to think though that if a team got creative a deal could be worked out on the cheap.
Just makes me laugh how people on here think they can trade a player for prospects when they just beat the market to sign that player the prior offseason (or the offseason before that in Samardzija’s case) and the player in question has not outperformed his contract.
If you took the time to read before you put other people down, you would have noticed that southi didn’t mention prospects at all…. you did though. He suggested for another contract, that usually means an older player with a bad contract.
Not him specifically. But Giants fans on here in general seem to think they can get prospects for Melancon and Samardzija and apparently the Tigers want top prospects for Verlander without eating any of his contract. Last year when my team traded James Shields, they ate half his contract and got back a failed SP prospect and a 17 year old infielder. That is the best the Giants can hope for with Samardzija.
Samardzija isnt going to be traded. Theo straight up robbed billy beane in that trade. Samardzija is a #4 start at best. Addison Russell is top 10 SS in baseball already. He’s an all star. And possibly a future mvp caliber player. Samardzija should quit baseball and try out for the 9ers. He would probably be a decent 3rd option at TE.
I’m a Cubs fan & I’ll admit Russell was an AS bc Cubs fans voted him in. He is a good defensive player, but his bat is no where near where it was expected. He is around 12-16th in most categories in SS. He is 9th in WAR bc of his defense. If his bat ever develops then I agree that he’d be a top 10 SS, but right now he’s probably more on the fringe.
When does the first domino fall?
I definitely don’t see cozart traded.
the one team that is in contention said they won’t get a short stop.
I don’t see yonder traded either
The one team. I should have said the only team in contention with a broken short stop(nats) ain’t buying
Probably the Diamondbacks trade for Cozart and the Yankees trade for Alonso. With a buyer’s market at those positions and their originals clubs facing a “trade them now or lose them for nothing” scenario, they won’t have to give up much.
I wonder if the A’s could possibly get Dustin Fowler for Alonso now after what happened to Dustin. I don’t think it would be asking for too much, Yonder is an all star and could really help the Yankees in winning the AL EAST.
Brief history w/ Hazen suggests the Dbacks likely won’t be making a trade to cover a short term injury at SS. The Dbacks have shown impressive depth when covering injuries this season: Shelby Miller goes down Godley steps in and frankly has been an upgrade, Pollock & Tomas go down then Gregor Blanco & Rey Fuentes fill in well, Nick Ahmed goes down and Ketel Marte has stepped right in and so far, has provided solid play and versatility. Barring major injuries, if the Dbacks make a move at the deadline I only see a cursory trade for bullpen help.
Fowler+ for sure, Fowler’s only hyped by Yankee fans and isn’t that big a deal of a prospect, especially now he’s not even playing.
Worth noting: Rentals of Reddick & Hill bought back a top 60 prospect and 2 top 100 ones. Fowler has never been top 100. I think if Alonso goes nuts and wacks a bunch more bombs in the next couple weeks he could bring back Mateo, Fowler and even another guy – or even Frazier or Torres if some of Gray/Madson/Doolittle goes with him.
Pretty soon it’s going to be obvious that the Yankees should be sellers with a sub-.500 finish looming. Their whole pitching staff including Chapman and Betances with the exception of Severino and Montgomery should be had. Also Headley should be given away and Gardner, Ellsbury and Holliday should be had.
Do you even watch baseball? If so wtf?
McCutchen’s bat is on fire. Too bad he can’t field.
I think the Cubs try and sign Shohei Otani. They have no reason not to. Not sure what he excells out most hitting or pitching they would sign him as a pitcher. They are set in the field of position players.
Cubs aren’t getting Otani under the current rules. I don’t think he’s actually coming over bc of the amount of money & control he’ll lose. I think it’s most likely an AL team where he can DH if he’s seriously wanting to be a 2-way player.
I wonder if the Jays would consider trading Pillar? He could solve the CF position for a lot of teams. Truly elite defense and fan fav.
Frankly, any Philly on the 25 man roster can be had. In fact, I think the organization would entertain an offer for most anyone in their system. There is decent value therein as the organization has ample depth. Unfortunately, there are few, clear, true difference makers.
Tigers have 6 of the 1st 36.
This could be the most important month for the franchise in the next several years.
Can Avila net 6 five year players with two being stars in the league?
MLB Trade Rumors should have it own Detroit bureau.
POSSIBLE TRADE SCENARIOS?:(plus starting prospect)
Reds trade Raisel Iglesias and Zack Cozart for a package starting with Robles, Fedde and a couple other top 10 prospects
JD Martinez to Rockies for package starting with Rodgers
Mike Moustakas to Red Sox for package starting with devers
Dan Straily to mariners for package starting with O’Neil
Jay Bruce to Rays with package starting with Gillespie
Howie Kendrick to Blue Jays for Greene
Andrew McCutchen to Rangers for taveras
Johnny cueto to astros for tucker
Those are my thoughts, probably would be the best bet for each contending team I thought
Who do the cubs get? Why would the Rockies trade for jd Martinez their outfiled is fine.
Cole to the cubs maybe? I don’t see the cubs making much of a move except for an ace.
I chose Martinez to the rockies do to injuries and cargos underperformce. Put Jd Martinez in coors field and the Rockies already stacked offense is arguably the best.