MLB Trade Ideas Based on Offseason Week 6 News, Rumors and Speculation
Baseball's annual winter meetings are over, and while there was a flurry of activity, nearly every team departed Nashville, Tennessee, having also laid the groundwork for potential deals down the road.
It's something that wasn't lost on the rumor mill, which hasn't stopped buzzing with speculation about who will be the next big name to change uniforms this offseason. All-Star position players and pitchers who garnered votes in their respective league's Cy Young Award race were dealt, and there's plenty of activity yet to come.
To be sure, some speculation is swirling around players who we've generated trade ideas for before, whether it be during the regular season or, in some cases, even last offseason. Others are making their first appearance in our weekly endeavor, which we bring to you every Tuesday.
Keep in mind these proposed deals are only ideas and pure speculation. Unless otherwise noted, there's no indication any of them has actually been discussed.
Scooter Gennett Gets Traded to the Nationals
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Milwaukee Gets: C Spencer Kieboom and 1B/3B Matt Skole
Washington Gets: 2B Scooter Gennett
The Rumor
Washington is looking to add a second baseman—preferably one that hits left-handed—according to Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal.
Why It Works for the Brewers
The imminent arrival of top prospect Orlando Arcia will push current Milwaukee shortstop Jean Segura over to second base, and current second baseman Scooter Gennett to the bench—or out of town.
Under team control through 2020, the Brewers certainly don't have to trade Gennett anytime soon. But the chance to add Jonathan Lucroy's eventual replacement behind the plate in Spencer Kieboom—and a corner infielder with pop in Matt Skole—makes this a deal worth making for a rebuilding club.
Kieboom's defense and ability to control the opposition's running game are ahead of his bat, but the 24-year-old has shown the ability to make fairly consistent contact and owns a respectable .279/.352/.410 triple-slash line across parts of four minor league seasons.
Skole, 26, hit .291 with 32 home runs and 152 RBI over his first 191 professional games, but a devastating collision forced him to miss nearly all of the 2013 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery and microfracture surgery on his wrist, stunting his development.
While his power has returned, he's yet to exhibit the same form at the plate. Capable of playing first or third base, he's the kind of player the Brewers can afford to take a chance on, given their unsettled situations at the infield corners.
Why It Works for the Nationals
Gennett is never going to be a star, but he wouldn't have to be in Washington. An average defender, he'd fill the Nationals' desire to add a left-handed hitter and give manager Dusty Baker another option to replace free agent Denard Span as the team's leadoff hitter.
Carlos Gonzalez Gets Traded to the Royals
2 of 5
Colorado Gets: RHP Miguel Almonte, OF Alfredo Escalera-Maldonado and RHP Ashe Russell
Kansas City Gets: OF Carlos Gonzalez and $7 million
The Rumor
ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick tweets that Kansas City has spoken to Colorado about all three of its starting outfielders—Charlie Blackmon, Corey Dickerson and Carlos Gonzalez.
Why It Works for the Rockies
With little chance of contending anytime soon, Colorado parlays its most popular player, Gonzalez, into a pair of promising young pitchers that landed on MLB.com's top 100 prospects list and an intriguing, toolsy outfielder that could eventually become his replacement.
Both Almonte, 22, and Russell, 19, have the potential to become mainstays in Colorado's future rotation. While both are still developing, Almonte made his MLB debut in 2015 and could be a factor in Colorado next season, while Russell is still a few years away.
Escalera-Maldonado, 20, has the speed to stick in center field, but he has the athleticism and arm strength to handle any outfield spot. He's shown the ability to make consistent contact over the early part of his career and, with his developing power, could become a perennial 20/20 threat—if not more.
Why It Works for the Royals
A two-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger Award winner and three-time Gold Glove Award winner, Carlos Gonzalez essentially replaces Alex Gordon in left field for Kansas City, though he's capable of playing anywhere in the outfield. While his past health issues and numbers away from Coors Field are a concern, CarGo's talent and ability are not.
Due $37 million through 2017, the Royals get a bit of salary relief in the deal in exchange for parting with some better prospects.
Perhaps more importantly, the Royals plug an outfield hole on a short-term deal, giving the team some flexibility when it comes to working out extensions with members of its core, many of which have deals that expire in the next two years.
Shawn Tolleson Gets Traded to Arizona
3 of 5
Arizona Gets: RHP Shawn Tolleson
Texas Gets: RHP Archie Bradley
The Rumor
Arizona and Texas have been talking trade, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan, with the Rangers having their eye on some of the D-Backs' surplus of starting pitchers. CBS Sports' Jon Heyman says the D-Backs are looking for relievers.
Why It Works for the Diamondbacks
Selling the farm to bolster the back-end of his bullpen simply isn't something that Arizona general manager Dave Stewart is prepared to do, as he told the Arizona Republic's Nick Piecoro last month.
“With (Brad) Ziegler doing the job that he has, I am looking to better ourselves more than likely in the front end versus the back end (of the bullpen). I’ve made it pretty clear that I’m just not in the mood to give up three or four players for one guy at the back end of my bullpen.”
But he doesn't have to anymore. After signing Zack Greinke and trading for Shelby Miller, Arizona now has a surplus of starting pitching, which Stewart can use to bolster the back-end of the bullpen. Adding Shawn Tollleson does just that.
Under team control through 2018, the 27-year-old, who finished 10th in the American League Cy Young Award voting and converted 35-of-37 save opportunities last season, makes the bullpen deeper, with Ziegler returning to a primary setup role, one in which he's previously thrived.
Why It Works for the Rangers
A myriad of injuries has stalled Archie Bradley's development, but the 23-year-old remains an intriguing talent with significant upside.
With Keone Kela and Tom Wilhelmsen both potential ninth inning options (Wilhelmsen has converted 67-of-81 save opportunities over his five-year career), Tolleson is expendable, especially when it brings back a potential front-of-the-rotation arm in Bradley.
A change of scenery might be just what he needs to finally reach his potential. At the very least, Bradley would be under far less pressure in Texas than he was in Arizona, where he's been pegged as the team's future ace since the team made him the seventh overall selection in the 2011 draft.
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Todd Frazier Gets Traded to the Dodgers
4 of 5
Cincinnati Gets: RHP Jose De Leon, 2B Jose Peraza and OF Scott Schebler
Los Angeles Gets: 3B/OF Todd Frazier
The Rumor
"Trade talks are starting to percolate with Todd Frazier as Cincinnati continues to talk to teams about the star third baseman," writes CBS Sports' Jon Heyman, naming the Los Angeles Dodgers as one of the interested clubs.
Why It Works for the Dodgers
Los Angeles adds one of the game's premier defensive third basemen and a big-time slugger in Frazier, who is under team control through 2017 and gives new manager Dave Roberts options when filling out his lineup.
While he figures to spend most of his time at the hot corner, pushing incumbent Justin Turner into a utility role, the Dodgers could use Frazier as a replacement for Andre Ethier in left field when facing a left-handed pitcher, putting Turner back at the hot corner.
Of course, should the Dodgers turn around and trade Ethier, Frazier could become the team's full-time left fielder, keeping Turner at third base.
Whether the Dodgers make other moves or not, adding his right-handed power to the lineup will also help to take some of the pressure off the likes of Joc Pederson and Yasiel Puig, which certainly isn't a bad thing.
While parting with Jose De Leon is painful, all three of the prospects the Dodgers move in this deal are expendable.
Why It Works for the Reds
A rebuilding Cincinnati club lands three quality young pieces to build around, all of them close to contributing in the big leagues.
De Leon, 23, is the centerpiece of the deal and has the makings of a front-of-the-rotation arm. He's got a pair of legitimate strikeout pitches in his mid-90s fastball and low-80s slider and a quickly improving changeup that projects to be another above-average offering.
While it means nothing in terms of his major league projection, it's worth noting that De Leon broke a record set by Clayton Kershaw in 2007 for most strikeouts in a game, fanning 14 for the Single-A Great Lakes Loons back in 2014.
Peraza, 21, gives the Reds an heir apparent to Brandon Phillips, who has been the subject of some trade rumors himself, at second base. A smooth-fielding infielder, Peraza offers little in terms of power but makes up for it with big-time speed that he uses to his advantage by trying to keep the ball on the ground.
Schebler, 25, is athletic enough to play all over the outfield but best profiles as a left fielder, where his mediocre arm becomes less of an issue.
A career .272/.338/.490 hitter across parts of five minor league seasons, Schebler projects to hit for average and some power in the big leagues—the latter of which would certainly be helped by the chance to call Great American Ball Park home.
Andre Ethier Gets Traded to the Angels
5 of 5
Los Angeles (AL) Gets: OF Andre Ethier and $10 million
Los Angeles (NL) Gets: LHP Hector Santiago
The Rumor
Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports that the Dodgers are willing to pay down part of the $38 million Andre Ethier is due through 2017 to facilitate a trade, while both CBS Sports' Jon Heyman and MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez hear the Angels are willing to listen on Hector Santiago (among others), who is drawing interest.
Why It Works for the Angels
Left field was an embarrassment for the Angels last season, with nine players combining to hit .212 with 11 home runs, 66 RBI and a .574 OPS. Even in his worst season, Andre Ethier is a lock to surpass those numbers.
For as Rosenthal notes, Ethier hasn't been nearly as unproductive as many perceive him to be:
"Consider how Ethier compared last season to some of the free-agent hitters in weighted runs created plus against right-handed pitching:
(wRC+ attempts to credit the hitter for each offensive outcome while adjusting for park effects and the current run environment; the statistic is scaled so that the league average is 100).
Chris Davis was fourth in the majors at 161. Ethier was 12th at 150 — ahead of Justin Upton and Jason Heyward, significantly ahead of Daniel Murphy and Ben Zobrist.
Ethier, using wRC+, also is the fourth-most productive outfielder against right-handed pitching since 2010 (minimum 2,000 plate appearances), behind only Mike Trout, Jose Bautista and Shin-Soo Choo.
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That Ethier is a left-handed hitter and familiar with Los Angeles only makes him that much more appealing to the Angels, who boast only one everyday player that's a lefty—Kole Calhoun.
Why It Works for the Dodgers
After missing out on Zack Greinke and watching both Arizona (Greinke, Shelby Miller) and San Francisco (Johnny Cueto, Jeff Samardzija) significantly improve their rotations, the Dodgers need to do more than just add Hisashi Iwakuma to their pitching staff this winter.
Hector Santiago isn't an ace, but the 27-year-old is a reliable, mid-rotation arm, and one coming off a season that saw him pitch to a 3.59 ERA and 1.26 WHIP while earning his first career All-Star selection. Under team control through 2017, his arrival would allow the Dodgers to shift Alex Wood into the bullpen.
Unless otherwise noted, all statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs. All contract information courtesy of Cot's Contracts (via Baseball Prospectus).
Hit me up on Twitter to talk all things baseball: @RickWeinerBR.
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