Top MLB Prospects on the Pre-Winter Meetings Trade Block

Major League Baseball’s annual winter meetings are nearly upon us, with the events to be held on Dec. 8-11 in San Diego, California.

With front-office personnel and executives present from all 30 teams, the winter meetings typically produce both high-profile free-agent signings and blockbuster trades. And with every team evaluating their rosters for the 2015 season, prospects are often the deciding factor when it comes to an offseason deal.

In recent years, we’ve seen more and more teams be willing to trade their top prospects, like when the Royals dealt Wil Myers and Jake Odorizzi to the Rays prior to the 2013 season, which was also the same offseason that the Blue Jays sent Noah Syndergaard and Travis d’Arnaud to the Mets.

And even though the deals that transpired last offseason didn’t involve as many big-name prospects, we still saw numerous highly regarded young talents, such as Matt Davidson, Michael Choice, Jesse Hahn and Robbie Ray, get moved in exchange for veteran players.

We've already seen notable prospects such as Tyrell Jenkins, Devon Travis and Robbie Ray (again) get included in trades this offseason, but so far, none of the deals have involved an elite prospect.

Similarly, there haven’t been many substantiated trade rumors so far involving prospects. However, that’s not to say the rumors aren’t out there.

Here's a look at five top prospects who could be dealt during next week's winter meetings.

Andrew Heaney, LHP, Miami Marlins

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Andrew Heaney opened the season with a dominant showing between the Double- and Triple-A level, which resulted in a promotion to the major leagues in early June. However, the 23-year-old left-handed pitcher couldn’t replicate his minor league success against the game’s top hitters, going 0-3 with a 6.53 ERA and five home runs allowed in 20.2 innings over four starts.

Heaney continued to scuffle after returning to Triple-A, registering a 4.30 ERA and yielding eight more home runs over his final 60.2 innings spanning 11 starts, but he still returned to the major leagues as a September call-up.

The southpaw looked sharper after rejoining the Marlins, notching four strikeouts and allowing just two hits over 4.2 scoreless innings out of the bullpen, and he’s expected to compete for a spot in the team’s 2015 Opening Day starting rotation.

But in the wake of Giancarlo Stanton’s record-breaking extension and recent reports that the team is trying to lock up young talents such as Jose Fernandez, Christian Yelich and Marcell Ozuna, the Marlins are now willing to listen to offers for Heaney, according to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com.

However, don’t expect them to trade their top prospect for anything less than a flattering return.

Joe Wendle, 2B, Cleveland Indians

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The A’s are rumored to be interested in receiving second-base prospect Joe Wendle from the Indians as part of a deal for Brandon Moss, writes Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Wendle—a sixth-round pick in the 2012 draft out of a Division II program—enjoyed a strong full-season debut in 2013, batting .295/.372/.513 with 32 doubles and 16 home runs in 107 games for High-A Carolina.

The 24-year-old’s power and on-base skills were challenged this past season at Double-A Akron, as his batting line dipped to .253/.311/.414 with only eight home runs in 370 plate appearances.

In Wendle’s defense, however, he did suffer a broken hamate bone in June, which limited him to only 93 total games on the year. He recovered from the injury and returned to Akron for the final week-plus of the minor league regular season, but he batted just .205 with two extra-base hits in 44 plate appearances.

Wendle’s value will always be tied to his bat, as he flashes the upside of a .270 hitter with 10-12 home runs at maturity. However, the fact that his path to playing time will be blocked by Jason Kipnis for years to come also makes him an intriguing trade candidate. So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise he’s being targeted by the A’s, who seemingly would be a good fit for such an offense-oriented player.

Matt Barnes, RHP, Boston Red Sox

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Matt Barnes was Boston’s first-round pick back in 2011, and it seemed as though he’d reach the major leagues quickly after breezing through both Class-A levels the following year behind a 2.86 ERA and 133 strikeouts in 119.2 innings.

After that, however, Barnes, 24, didn’t progress as expected, turning in shaky performances across the Double- and Triple-A levels in back-to-back years.

Thankfully, the right-hander figured things out during the final month of the minor league season, as he pitched to a 2.16 ERA and .164 opponents' batting average over 41.2 innings (six starts) at Triple-A Pawtucket.

Barnes’ strong finish earned him a September promotion to the major leagues. The right-hander made five relief appearances and posted a 4.00 ERA with eight strikeouts over nine innings.

Realistically, the Red Sox could afford to deal Barnes this offseason given their surplus of young starting pitching, though he'd likely only be included in a large-scale deal for a big name such as Cole Hamels. 

The Phillies are looking for a flattering return on Hamels (as they should be) in the form of “at least three top prospects,” two of whom are capable of contributing in the major leagues, per Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com.

Most teams lack the talent and depth—and in many cases, the payroll flexibility—to meet Philadelphia’s asking price for Hamels, which makes it relatively easy to predict his potential suitors. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports writes, “The Phillies are doing background work on [Christian Vazquez’s] makeup, as well as on the makeups of right-hander Matt Barnes and outfielder Mookie Betts.”

Austin Hedges, C, San Diego Padres

Austin Hedges struggled at the plate in his first full season in Double-A, posting a .225/.268/.321 batting line to go along with 27 extra-base hits and a career-worst five percent walk rate in 457 plate appearances.

The 22-year-old’s overall numbers were weighed down by a rough final two months of the season during which he batted .190/.226/.232 with one home run and 45 strikeouts (25.4 percent strikeout rate) in 177 plate appearances.

Luckily, Hedges continued to shine on the other side of the ball, as he threw out opposing base stealers at a 38 percent clip rate and committed only six passed balls in 106 games behind the plate.

Hedges’ superb defense could make him an everyday player in the major leagues right now, but that doesn’t mean the Padres are willing to risk his offensive development and rush him up the ladder.

The Padres reportedly have received interest in all three of their catchers—Yasmani Grandal, Rene Rivera and Hedges—and talks about a potential trade could pick up next week at the winter meetings.

According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, the club is more inclined to move Grandal and Rivera—its big league backstops—but it’s worth noting that Hedges hasn’t been declared off limits.

Garin Cecchini, 3B/LF, Boston Red Sox

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It almost goes without saying that third base was a glaring weak spot for the Red Sox in 2014. Will Middlebrooks once again struggled to stay on the field and provided minimal production even when he was healthy, which in turn forced the club to sign veteran Stephen Drew in mid-June and shift rookie Xander Bogaerts back to the hot corner (even if only temporarily).

Boston's dire situation at third base last season did allow Garin Cecchini to make his debut, and the 23-year-old fared well with a .258 batting average, three doubles and one home run while playing in 11 games. Beyond that, however, he turned in his worst minor league campaign to date, as his production fell off across the board at the Triple-A level. Overall, he batted .263/.341/.371 with 29 extra-base hits and 11 stolen bases in 114 games for Triple-A Pawtucket.

Yet it was widely assumed headed into the offseason that Cecchini's future with the club would be affected by the decision on whether to pursue top free agents such as Pablo Sandoval and Chase Headley. 

While Cecchini is a well-rounded player and capable of posting better numbers than he did this year, he didn't represent a clear upgrade at the hot corner for the Red Sox in 2015, which is why the club singed Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez. The latter is slated to play left field next season, but after spending most of his career at shortstop, it's safe to say he's obviously more than qualified to play third.

Meanwhile, Cecchini immediately became expendable and can now be used to address the team’s other needs this offseason.