3 MLB Teams with the Prospects to Pull off an Offseason Blockbuster Trade
Last winter, there were a number of clear-cut trade candidates even before the MLB offseason got underway, with Cole Hamels and Justin Upton leading that list. This year, there is not an obvious star-caliber player who is expected to be on the move, with perhaps the lone exception being Cincinnati Reds closer Aroldis Chapman.
But does that mean there won't be blockbuster deals? Absolutely not.
With Billy Beane calling the shots, it's not unfathomable to think the Oakland A's could shop Sonny Gray, while the San Diego Padres may need to take a step back and look to trade one or more of their starters from the trio of Tyson Ross, James Shields and Andrew Cashner.
Depending on how far the Reds and Milwaukee Brewers dive into their respective rebuilds, guys like Jay Bruce, Brandon Phillips, Ryan Braun and Jonathan Lucroy could also be dangled. The Colorado Rockies could also sell further by moving Carlos Gonzalez.
That then raises the question, which teams have the prospect talent and clear areas of need to be in the market for a blockbuster trade this winter?
By my account, all but six teams have the prospects to pull off a blockbuster trade this offseason if they so desired.
The Seattle Mariners, Miami Marlins, Los Angeles Angels, Detroit Tigers, Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres are the clubs that don't appear to have the necessary top-end talent or depth to make a huge splash via trade.
However, that doesn't mean the other 24 teams will all be ready to sell the farm.
Teams like the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies and Brewers have built up good farm system depth in recent years, but as rebuilding clubs, there is no reason to think they'll mortgage any of that young talent at this point.
Then you have the small-market teams that rely on cheap, homegrown talent to be competitive. Teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates, Tampa Bay Rays, Oakland Athletics and Cleveland Indians have a wealth of talent down on the farm, but their organizational philosophies will likely prevent any blockbuster deals.
So, with all of that taken into account, here is a look at three teams with the prospects and the clear areas of need to pull off an offseason blockbuster trade.
New York Mets
1 of 3
Top 10 Prospects
| 1. LHP Steven Matz | MLB | - |
| 2. OF Brandon Nimmo | AAA | 2016 |
| 3. SS Amed Rosario | AA | 2017 |
| 4. SS Gavin Cecchini | AA | 2016 |
| 5. 1B Dominic Smith | A- | 2018 |
| 6. RHP Marcos Molina | A+ | 2018 |
| 7. RHP Gabriel Ynoa | AA | 2017 |
| 8. SS Milton Ramos | ROK | 2019 |
| 9. OF Wuilmer Becerra | A | 2018 |
| 10. RHP Akeel Morris | AA | 2017 |
Overview
The New York Mets will make every effort to bring back slugger Yoenis Cespedes in the offseason, but if he winds up elsewhere, they could push hard to acquire another big bat on the trade market.
With a rotation of Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Matt Harvey and Steven Matz in place for the foreseeable future, they have the pitching to be perennial participants in the National League Championship Series.
However, it's no secret their offense was nothing short of anemic prior to adding Cespedes, and if they hope to remain legitimate title contenders, they'll need that middle-of-the-order bat one way or another.
In theory, that dynamic foursome of starting pitchers at the big league level should make any starting pitching prospects in their farm system potential trade chips.
Michael Fulmer was already moved in the Cespedes trade, but Marcos Molina who reached High-A at the age of 20 and has legitimate front-line potential, could be a nice starting point in a trade package.
Gabriel Ynoa, who was 9-9 with a 3.90 ERA in 152.1 innings in a full season in Double-A, is also a promising arm. While he doesn't have the ceiling of Molina, he looks like a safe bet to be a back-end big league starter at the very least.
Packaging one or both of those pitchers with one of the team's shortstop prospects and filling out the deal with a couple of lower-level prospects could be enough to get a major trade done.
Amed Rosario is the top dog among the team's shortstop prospects, as he reached Double-A at the age of 19 and has star-caliber upside on both sides of the ball, but he'll be tough to pry away.
However, Gavin Cecchini saw his stock climb significantly after hitting .317/.377/.442 in a full season in Double-A, while 19-year-old Milton Ramos offers more of a high-risk, high-reward option depending on how his offensive game continues to develop.
A package of Molina, Ynoa and Cecchini with a couple of other lesser pieces thrown in as needed would be a solid amount of talent for a team looking to restock the farm system by moving a bat.
Again, re-signing Cespedes will no doubt be the preferred route, but if he walks, the team will have to explore any and all ways to add a slugger to the middle of the order.
Boston Red Sox
2 of 3
Top 10 Prospects
| 1. 2B Yoan Moncada | A | 2016 |
| 2. 3B Rafael Devers | A | 2018 |
| 3. CF Manuel Margot | AA | 2017 |
| 4. OF Andrew Benintendi | A | 2017 |
| 5. LHP Brian Johnson | AAA | 2016 |
| 6. SS Javier Guerra | A | 2018 |
| 7. RHP Michael Kopech | A | 2018 |
| 8. RHP Anderson Espinoza | A | 2019 |
| 9. 1B Sam Travis | AA | 2017 |
| 10. 3B Michael Chavis | A | 2018 |
Overview
Even after graduating Blake Swihart, Eduardo Rodriguez, Henry Owens, Matt Barnes and Travis Shaw from the prospect ranks this year and Mookie Betts the year before, the Boston Red Sox still have one of the deepest farm systems in baseball.
They also still have a glaring need for front-line pitching after failing to land an ace last winter and playing out the year with a collection of No. 3 starter types and eventually several rookies.
The result was a 4.39 ERA from their starters that ranked 24th in the majors.
Owens and Rodriguez look to be a solid one-two punch going forward, and the team still has Rick Porcello and Wade Miley under contract and a reasonable $13 million option on Clay Buchholz provided he's healthy.
However, expect the Red Sox to make every effort to find that front-line arm to lead their staff this winter.
Yoan Moncada isn't going anywhere, and the same can probably be assumed for No. 7 overall pick Andrew Benintendi and fast-rising right-hander Anderson Espinoza, but that still leaves plenty of high-end talent to build a package around.
Outfielder Manuel Margot will likely enter 2016 as a top-50 prospect in the league after hitting .276/.324/.419 with 42 extra-base hits and 39 stolen bases between High-A and Double-A as a 20-year-old.
The same goes for third baseman Rafael Devers, who had a .288/.328/.443 line with 38 doubles and 11 home runs in a full season at Single-A Greenville at the age of 18.
The outfield situation is crowded long term, and the same goes for the infield, where Xander Bogaerts and Moncada will likely be entrenched for some time.
Building a package with one of those guys as the marquee piece would give the Red Sox a competitive package to acquire anyone on the market, and the two of them together could be enough to land someone like Sonny Gray if he were to become available.
Arizona Diamondbacks
3 of 3
Top 10 Prospects
| 1. RHP Archie Bradley | AAA | 2016 |
| 2. SS Dansby Swanson | A- | 2017 |
| 3. RHP Aaron Blair | AAA | 2016 |
| 4. RHP Braden Shipley | AA | 2016 |
| 5. IF Brandon Drury | MLB | - |
| 6. RHP Yoan Lopez | AA | 2016 |
| 7. LHP Alex Young | A- | 2018 |
| 8. RHP Wei-Chieh Huang | A | 2018 |
| 9. IF Domingo Leyba | A+ | 2018 |
| 10. OF Peter O'Brien | MLB | - |
Overview
The Arizona Diamondbacks were better than expected in 2015, as they quietly posted a 15-win improvement over 2014, when they had the worst record in baseball.
There is a good young core in place, with Paul Goldschmidt and A.J. Pollock leading the way offensively, but the team will need to drastically improve its pitching staff if it hopes to climb into contention in the NL West.
Steve Gilbert of MLB.com wrote the following in an offseason outlook article on the team:
"The main goal for chief baseball officer Tony La Russa and general manager Dave Stewart over the next few months will undoubtedly be to add more pitching, particularly at least one starter that they know they can rely on as well as another back-end arm for the bullpen. ...
... If they choose to trade for pitching, the D-backs do have a surplus of young players both in the infield and outfield, as well as pitching depth in the organization that should appeal to other teams.
"
Prized right-hander Archie Bradley, last year's No. 1 overall pick Dansby Swanson and Cuban right-hander Yoan Lopez, who landed a record $8.27 million bonus, are probably all off the table, but the team could still put together an attractive package without them.
Aaron Blair is coming off of a fantastic season, as he went 13-5 with a 2.92 ERA and 120 strikeouts in 160.1 innings between Double-A and Triple-A, and he'll be knocking on the door early in 2016.
Braden Shipley is also a high-end pitching prospect, as he was 9-11 with a 3.50 ERA and 118 strikeouts in 156.2 innings in a full season at Double-A.
Building a package around one of those 23-year-old starters and either incumbent second baseman Chris Owings or infield prospect Brandon Drury (.303 BA, .756 OPS, 40 2B, 5 HR, 61 RBI) would be a good start.
The D-backs could also throw in Peter O'Brien, who continues to put up impressive power numbers but looks to be finished as a catcher. The outfield is crowded in Arizona, but his .883 OPS, 35 doubles, 26 home runs and 107 RBI in Triple-A would no doubt be of interest to someone.
Patrick Corbin pitched well down the stretch in his return from Tommy John surgery, and veteran Brad Ziegler performed admirably in the closer's role, but this is a team with a clear need for a front-line arm and top-tier closer, and it has the pieces to pull off a big deal.
All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com, unless otherwise noted.
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