MLB Trade Deadline: Prospects who could help contenders avoid the trade market
The Nationals solved their leadoff hitter problem without making a trade by calling up Trea Turner
By
Mike Axisa
•
6 min read
As Monday's trade deadline rapidly approaches, most of the buzz surrounding the Nationals has involved their bullpen. Jonathan Papelbon has struggled big time of late, and thanks to their 2012 and 2014 postseason exits, Washington knows firsthand the importance of a strong bullpen. It's no surprise they're in the reliever market.
The bullpen was not the Nationals' only pressing need, however. Offseason pickup Ben Revere has hit a weak .213/.261/.297 (48 OPS+) on the season, leaving a gaping hole in the leadoff spot. That led to lots of speculation that the Nats could jump into the outfield market to land a better center fielder and leadoff hitter.
Washington hasn't had to do that. They've been able to address that weakness from within. A few weeks back the club moved shortstop prospect Trea Turner, who is blocked by Danny Espinosa at the MLB level, to center field in an effort to improve his versatility. Once they felt comfortable with him in center, the Nats called Turner up.
In 13 games since being promoted, Turner is hitting .333/.382/.510 (134 OPS+) with three doubles, three triples, and six steals. He's started the club's last three games in center field and their last four games in the leadoff spot. Turner has led off nine times in the team's last 13 games. He's pushed Revere out of the lineup entirely.
The Nationals were able to upgrade their center field and leadoff situation without making a trade. They dipped into their farm system and called up a talented player who was deserving of a chance. That's far more preferable to trading a prospect -- or, most likely, prospects, as in plural -- to import a player from another organization.
Of course, this is not always possible. The Nats just so happened to have the perfect player to address a weakness sitting in Triple-A. It doesn't always work out like that. That said, there are several other contenders out there who just might happen to have the answer to a pressing need in the minors. Here's a look at some prospects who could help fill a need in the second half.
Houston Astros: Alex Bregman
This is sort of cheating because Bregman has already been called up. The Astros promoted the No. 2 pick in last year's draft to Houston earlier this week, and while he's gone 0 for 9 with two walks and three strikeouts in his first three MLB games, this is a kid who hit .306/.406/.580 with 22 doubles, 20 homers, and more walks (47) than strikeouts (38) in 80 minor league games this year. He has a chance to be an impact player.
The Astros have received very little production from their first basemen this season, and although Bregman is a natural shortstop, the club has the option of putting him at third base and sliding Luis Valbuena over to first. That's exactly what they did Monday night, in fact. (Valbuena is nursing a hamstring injury at the moment.) There aren't too many big first base bats on the trade market right now. Putting Bregman at third and Valbuena at first may be the best solution.
New York Yankees: Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez
The Yankees have won 11 of their last 17 games and continue to linger in the AL Wild Card race. They're averaging only 4.08 runs per game and, shockingly, are dead last in the AL with a .392 slugging percentage. How does that happen in Yankee Stadium? Now that the Yankees are committed to benching Alex Rodriguez -- it's not even a platoon situation anymore, it's an outright benching -- they have some flexibility with the DH spot.
In Judge and Sanchez, the Yankees have two MLB ready bats capable of helping their beleaguered offense. Judge is hitting .261/.357/.469 with 16 homers in Triple-A. He's an outfielder, so he could take over in right field with Carlos Beltran at DH. Sanchez, meanwhile, is at .286/.333/.478 with 10 homers at Triple-A. He's a catcher and would have to DH with Beltran in right. I'm not sure it would be in New York's best interests to "buy" at the deadline, but they should be able to reinforce their offense from within.
(It's worth noting Judge is on the Triple-A DL with a knee injury at the moment, but he's reportedly due back in a matter of days.)
Pittsburgh Pirates: Josh Bell
Pittsburgh's top priority right now is pitching help and they've dipped deep into their farm system already. Jameson Taillon is in the rotation and Tyler Glasnow was until hitting the DL with a shoulder problem. They're going to have to go outside the organization for pitching help at this point. They've exhausted their internal options.
First base is a different story. John Jaso has been mired in a hideous slump since June 1 (.208/.298/.288), and while David Freese represents a veteran alternative, Bell is a higher upside option. He's hitting .317/.405/.513 with 13 homers in 94 Triple-A games, and earlier this year he reached base in all four plate appearances during a brief call-up to Pittsburgh (two walks, one single, one grand slam).
The Pirates are averaging a healthy 4.65 runs per game, so it's not like the offense is a liability. There's always room for improvement though, and with Jaso struggling so much and Bell waiting in Triple-A, the Buccos has a chance for an easy upgrade at first base.
St. Louis Cardinals: Alex Reyes
It looked like Reyes was going to be called up this weekend after being pulled from Tuesday's Triple-A start after only three innings, but nope. That's not going to happen. The power armed righty has an unsightly 5.40 ERA as a starter in Triple-A, though he has 79 strikeouts in 55 innings and an upper-90s fastball. St. Louis is actively looking for bullpen help and Reyes could be the answer.
Keep in mind the Cardinals have a history of using top starting pitching prospects in relief. They most notably did it with Adam Wainwright back in the day. More recently, both Lance Lynn and Carlos Martinez broke into the big leagues as relievers. So did Trevor Rosenthal, though unlike those other guys he never got much of a chance to start again. Reyes could follow in their footsteps and become a bullpen solution down the stretch.
Texas Rangers: Joey Gallo
Like Bregman, Gallo was called up earlier this week, and he's started two of three games since. Tuesday night he showed off his top of the line power with a 448-foot opposite field home run. Opposite field! Check it out:
That is ridiculous. The list of players who can drive a ball that far to the opposite field is very short. That's why Gallo is such a highly touted prospect.
The Rangers just lost Prince Fielder to season-ending neck surgery, creating an opening in the lineup. Gallo started Tuesday's game at first base and Thursday's game at DH, so he'll already kinda sorta replacing Fielder. Going out and trading for some other team's veteran for the DH spot would be a waste of time. Gallo's ready to have an impact.
Washington Nationals: Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez
Both Giolito and Lopez have already made their brief big league debuts this season, combining to allow 14 runs in 15 2/3 innings across four starts. (Three by Giolito.) Washington's biggest need is in the bullpen though, not the rotation, and the old sabermetric adage is if you have a top MLB ready pitching prospect, you have a pretty good middle reliever.
Giolito and Lopez both possess the kind of raw power stuff to blow hitters away in short bursts -- many folks believe Lopez is destined for the bullpen long-term anyway -- which would add depth to Dusty Baker's relief crew. No, they're not likely to pitch like Andrew Miller or Wade Davis down the stretch, but Giolito and Lopez could very well help solve Washington's bullpen problem if given the chance.
