Top MLB Prospects Who Could Be Sellers' Prizes of the 2016 Deadline
There's never a shortage of rumors and speculation surrounding the top MLB players who could be on the move ahead of the Aug. 1 trade deadline, but the other side of that conversation is the prospects who could be used to acquire that proven talent.
The Boston Red Sox already pulled the trigger on one big trade, sending pitching prospect Anderson Espinoza, who was ranked as the No. 15 prospect in baseball, to the San Diego Padres in exchange for left-hander Drew Pomeranz.
So who else might join Espinoza as a top prospect changing teams?
Based on which teams are expected to be aggressive buyers, their top prospects' potential path or lack thereof to a big league job and the overall state of each buyer's farm system, what follows is a look at 10 notable prospects who could be a seller's prize at the deadline.
To be considered for inclusion, a prospect must have appeared among the top 100 prospects in the league in the midseason rankings update from Baseball America.
All prospect rankings referenced in this article come from that list unless otherwise specified.
No. 94 Prospect: OF Derek Fisher, Houston Astros
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Age: 22
| AA | 385 | .252/.379/.443 | 80 | 13 | 14 | 52 | 48 | 19 |
The No. 37 pick in the 2014 draft, outfielder Derek Fisher delivered on his offensive potential with big numbers across the board in his full-season debut last year.
He posted an .847 OPS with 21 doubles, 22 home runs, 87 RBI and 31 stolen bases between Single-A and High-A last year, and he has continued to impress with Double-A Corpus Christi.
Not only is he continuing to hit for power, but he's also seen a significant jump in his walk rate from 11.8 to 16.8 percent, according to FanGraphs, as he adjusts to higher-level pitching.
There's no clear path to playing time for Fisher right now. As someone who is close to big league-ready, he's an appealing trade chip as Houston looks to improve its pitching staff ahead of the deadline.
No. 85 Prospect: C Chance Sisco, Baltimore Orioles
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Age: 21
| AA | 314 | .327/.415/.417 | 87 | 19 | 1 | 31 | 38 | 2 |
The top prospect in a thin Baltimore system—catcher Chance Sisco—will likely need to be included if the Orioles hope to land a quality arm to bolster their starting rotation.
The 21-year-old launched a home run in the Futures Game, but it's his hit tool that has turned heads early in his pro career, as he's hit .326 in 1,300 career plate appearances.
"Sisco has already proven to be an advanced hitter for his age, demonstrating excellent feel for the strike zone and an approach which caters to his use of the whole field," wrote MLB.com's Prospect Watch. "He makes a lot of contact with a clean left-handed stroke and never tries to do too much at the plate."
Matt Wieters is headed for free agency this coming offseason, and the Orioles don't have a clear-cut replacement in the system beyond Sisco. If they're serious about making a run here in 2016, though, moving him may become a necessity.
No. 83 Prospect: 1B Chris Shaw, San Francisco Giants
3 of 10Age: 22
| A+/AA | 372 | .277/.341/.515 | 92 | 26 | 17 | 66 | 52 | 0 |
The San Francisco Giants are in serious need of bullpen help and perhaps another back-end starting pitcher, but their system is thin on top-tier prospects.
Shortstop Christian Arroyo and right-hander Phil Bickford will likely both be deemed untouchable, but slugger Christopher Shaw could be the centerpiece of a trade package.
The No. 31 pick in the 2015 draft out of Boston College, Shaw has slugged 37 doubles and 29 home runs in 572 career plate appearances, and he was recently bumped up to Double-A Richmond.
With Brandon Belt signed to a five-year, $72.8 million extension in the offseason and Shaw limited to first base defensively, he's a redundant piece in the organization and looks like a prime candidate to be dealt as a result.
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No. 82 Prospect: RHP Frankie Montas, Los Angeles Dodgers
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Age: 23
| AA/AAA | 7/4 | 0-0 | 2.25 | 1.062 | 3 | 22 | 16.0 |
The Dodgers acquired Frankie Montas from the White Sox during the offseason as part of the three-team deal that sent Todd Frazier to Chicago.
That marked the second time in his career he's been traded, as he moved from the Red Sox to the White Sox in the 2013 deadline deal that sent Jake Peavy to Boston, and he could be on the move again this summer.
The hard-throwing Montas has a top-flight fastball, but he's still more of a thrower than a pitcher, and with middling secondary stuff, his future could be at the back of the bullpen. Still, you can't teach velocity, and Montas can touch triple digits with his fastball.
He's close to big league-ready, and while the Dodgers could view him as an in-house bullpen option in the second half, he also profiles as a potential centerpiece for any deal they pursue at the deadline.
No. 71 Prospect: RHP Mike Clevinger, Cleveland Indians
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Age: 25
| AAA | 15 | 9-1 | 2.82 | 1.133 | 30 | 88 | 83.0 |
Acquired from the Los Angeles Angels in an August waiver trade in 2014, Mike Clevinger emerged as one of the Indians' top pitching prospects after dealing with injury woes early in his career.
He's on the fringe of the prospect scale at 25 years old, and with a stacked rotation at the MLB level and Cody Anderson also waiting in the wings, there's no clear role for Clevinger in Cleveland right now.
The Indians have done a great job building up their farm system, and they have a number of high-ceiling arms in the lower levels led by Justus Sheffield, Triston McKenzie, Brady Aiken and Juan Hillman. They'd no doubt prefer to move Clevinger over any of those guys as they look to upgrade at the deadline.
Yan Gomes is headed for the disabled list with a dislocated right shoulder, making Milwaukee Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy a potential deadline target. Clevinger could be the starting point in a return package.
No. 60 Prospect: RHP Grant Holmes, Los Angeles Dodgers
6 of 10Age: 20
| A+ | 17/15 | 7-3 | 3.39 | 1.373 | 36 | 89 | 90.1 |
The Los Angeles Dodgers have resisted the urge to trade their top-tier prospects in recent years, deeming the likes of Joc Pederson, Corey Seager and Julio Urias untouchable.
That will likely be the case once again with players such as Jose De Leon, Cody Bellinger and Alex Verdugo, but they could still look to make a splash between now and Aug. 1.
Building a package around right-hander Grant Holmes would be one option to avoid parting with anyone from that aforementioned trio and still make a significant addition.
Holmes, 20, was the No. 22 pick in the 2014 draft, and he's done a nice job missing bats as a pro with a rate of 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings in 242 career innings. His command still needs work, and he's somewhat undersized at 6'1", but he has the three-pitch repertoire and the sturdy build to stick as a starter.
No. 41 Prospect: 3B Rafael Devers, Boston Red Sox
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Age: 19
| A+ | 358 | .266/.327/.410 | 87 | 20 | 5 | 41 | 35 | 9 |
The Boston Red Sox have already been busy this month, acquiring infielder Aaron Hill and reliever Brad Ziegler prior to the All-Star break and then making a big move to land left-hander Drew Pomeranz in a one-for-one swap with the San Diego Padres for Anderson Espinoza.
That doesn't mean they're done trading.
The team has been linked to starting pitchers Rich Hill of the A's, per Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports, and Tampa Bay's Matt Moore, per Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times, in the days since acquiring Pomeranz.
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe recognized that the play of Eduardo Rodriguez will have a direct impact on the Red Sox's potential pursuit of another starter, and he was sharp last time out with seven innings of four-hit, one-run ball.
If they do make a play for another quality arm, a package built around Rafael Devers could be the preferred approach.
The 19-year-old has struggled a bit this season, and he doesn't have a clear long-term defensive position. His offensive upside is still valuable, though, and he's an expendable piece in Boston.
No. 30 Prospect: CF Lewis Brinson, Texas Rangers
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Age: 22
| Rk/AA | 283 | .232/.287/.440 | 60 | 12 | 10 | 37 | 43 | 12 |
Lewis Brinson began the season as the No. 16 prospect in baseball, five spots ahead of Nomar Mazara, according to Baseball America.
Mazara has since emerged as one of the top rookies in the American League, posting a .744 OPS with 11 home runs and 36 RBI in 351 plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Brinson is still in Double-A, where he's put up less than impressive numbers to this point.
That won't stop teams from inquiring about his availability this summer after he posted a .332/.403/.601 line with 31 doubles, 20 home runs, 69 RBI and 18 stolen bases over three minor league levels in 2015.
Shin-Soo Choo is signed through 2020, Mazara is now entrenched in an everyday role, and Texas is showing interest in extending Ian Desmond. Brinson could be viewed as expendable as the team looks to upgrade the pitching staff.
No. 27 Prospect: SS Gleyber Torres, Chicago Cubs
9 of 10Age: 19
| A+ | 395 | .275/.356/.435 | 95 | 22 | 9 | 46 | 58 | 18 |
The Chicago Cubs will need to find a way to make a significant addition to the bullpen between now and the Aug. 1 deadline. According to George A. King III of the New York Post, their No. 1 target is New York Yankees lefty Andrew Miller.
Assuming the Cubs stick to their stance that Kyle Schwarber, Willson Contreras and Javier Baez will all stay put, as Jon Heyman of Today's Knuckleball reported in June, the Yankees could turn their attention to the organization's No. 1 prospect, Gleyber Torres.
Torres, 19, began the 2015 season as the No. 8 prospect in the Cubs system, according to Baseball America.
He climbed onto league-wide prospect lists with a breakout campaign as he hit .287/.346/.376 with 32 extra-base hits and 22 stolen bases in his full-season debut.
The Cubs' long-term infield outlook is already crowded, so despite his significant upside, the Cubs could view Torres as expendable if it means bringing back someone such as Miller.
No. 11 Prospect: 3B Joey Gallo, Texas Rangers
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Age: 22
| AAA | 270 | .247/.385/.553 | 54 | 9 | 16 | 40 | 46 | 1 |
Even with all the strikeouts he's piled up during his time in the minors, slugger Joey Gallo has 80-grade power that you simply can't teach.
He's managed to trim his strikeout rate from 37.2 percent a year ago to a slightly more manageable 29.8 percent so far this season, via FanGraphs, and he's continued to show his big-time pop with 16 home runs in 270 plate appearances.
The Rangers look capable of winning the AL pennant this year but are in need of an upgrade to the pitching staff, so they could be willing to go all-in on 2016. If that means trading Gallo, then they'll need to consider it.
Giving up on the 22-year-old and then watching everything click with another team would be tough, but opting against the big trade when they have a chance to win it all this year could be an even more glaring mistake.
All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com, unless otherwise noted, and accurate through July 18.
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