Prospects MLB Teams Need to Sell High On

The first month of the 2017 MLB season is gone. Although there's still a long way to the finish, teams now have better ideas of what they have and of what they don't have.

And also, what they can give up in order to solve the latter.

The focus here is on prospects a select few teams should be willing to sell high on in summer trades. There are only a couple of ground rules:

• The teams must be in win-now mode yet with clear weaknesses to address.
• The prospects must be within a club's top 10 at MLB.com and also hot out of the gate but disposable for one reason or another.

Not many teams and players match these descriptions, so one team-prospect pairing per division will do fine.

Starting in the American League East, let's get to it.               

Boston Red Sox: Josh Ockimey, 1B

Josh Ockimey wasn't on any top-100 lists coming into the year and only ranks as the Boston Red Sox's No. 8 prospect at MLB.com. So he's certainly not one of MLB's brand-name prospects.

Yet.

Now in his fourth pro season after being drafted out of high school in the fifth round in 2014, Ockimey is mashing with a .352/.458/.571 slash line and four home runs through 28 games for the High-A Salem Red Sox.

The 21-year-old is cutting down on his strikeouts while continuing to develop his power and his patience. So it's no accident that his 1.029 OPS is only the latest stop on an upward trajectory in that department.

"My timing and rhythm is on right now," Ockimey said in April, according to Chris Tripodi of MiLB.com. "I'm feeling pretty good at the moment."

However, it'll be a while before Ockimey will be MLB-ready. And by the time he is, the Red Sox are likely to have Sam Travis, one of baseball's top first-base prospects, entrenched at the not-so-hot corner.

Rather than a long-term fit at first base, Ockimey fits the Red Sox better as a centerpiece in a trade for a starting pitcher. With Steven Wright out for the year and all bets off on David Price's recovery from a bad elbow, they're going to need one of those.

Cleveland Indians: Erik Gonzalez, SS/UTIL

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When he got to Erik Gonzalez in counting down the Cleveland Indians' top 10 prospects for 2017, Teddy Cahill of Baseball America spoke the truth about his situation.

"If he can develop more consistency, Gonzalez has the tools to be an everyday shortstop—just not for the Indians," he wrote.

With Francisco Lindor emerging as a serious MVP threat and locked into Cleveland through 2021, there isn't a place at shortstop for Gonzalez with the big club. Because Jason Kipnis is controlled through 2020, there's no place at second base either.

To be sure, Cleveland could use Gonzalez in a utility role. He plays mostly shortstop but has shown he can play well just about everywhere else too.

But right now, the AL Central squad would be wasting him a utility role. The 25-year-old has gone from being a light hitter with some speed to a power hitter with some speed. He's slugging a career-high .471 with five home runs for the Triple-A Columbus Clippers.

A trade could thus transform Gonzalez from Cleveland's No. 8 prospect into an intriguing upside play at shortstop for another team. 

And it's not hard to see how such a trade could help the Indians. With Corey Kluber hurt and Josh Tomlin and Trevor Bauer struggling, they're yet another team in need of a solid piece for their starting rotation.

Houston Astros: Derek Fisher, OF

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The Houston Astros are in an enviable position. They're 21-11 at the major league level, and MLB.com has six of their prospects ranked within its top 100.

However, the Astros have what could be a fatal flaw: starting pitching.

Dallas Keuchel has been brilliant, and Lance McCullers has been solid. But it's been messy after them. That's putting extra pressure on the AL West club's lineup and its bullpen, which may not bear it forever.

Among Houston's six top prospects are four pitchers the Astros should want to hold on to and one outfielder (Kyle Tucker) who's a star in the making. If they're going to trade a top prospect, Derek Fisher should be the guy.

The 23-year-old outfielder came into the year as a well-regarded prospect and has only furthered his case in the weeks since. Through 30 games with the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies, he has a .325/.382/.569 slash line and seven homers.

That's the sound of Fisher, now Houston's No. 4 prospect, knocking on the door of the majors. But the Astros don't have to answer. They have George Springer in center, Josh Reddick in right and a solid platoon of bats in left field. And in general, another good hitter is the last thing they need.

Fisher would serve the big club better as a centerpiece in a deal for a starter. Perhaps not a high-end guy but at least a solid mid-rotation guy who could help out Keuchel and McCullers.

Washington Nationals: Carter Kieboom, SS

If the Washington Nationals can be 21-11 as is, just imagine what they might be doing if they had a bullpen that didn't have a 5.38 ERA.

"The bullpen has been disappointing. They've got great stuff, and they need to pitch better," general manager Mike Rizzo said, according to Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post.

The National League East club needs least one shutdown reliever in Washington. As recent trades of Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller and Craig Kimbrel prove, it takes some serious prospect punch to get one of those these days.

That brings us to Carter Kieboom.

Kieboom, the Nationals' No. 4 prospect, didn't hit the ground running after being selected No. 28 overall in the 2016 draft. But he's fixing that now, as he finds himself slashing .333/.402/.590 through 27 games with the Class-A Hagerstown Suns. He's hit six homers, including three in one game against the Lexington Legends on April 30.

The 19-year-old is thus on his way to outperforming MLB.com's expectation that he'll have "at least average power once he fills out." Because he also has some defensive chops, he has the makings of a future star at shortstop.

With Trea Turner in place, however, the Nationals don't need to wait on Kieboom to have a star at shortstop. As much as it would hurt to part ways with him, they wouldn't regret it if he fetched a relief ace who could put them over the hump.

Chicago Cubs: Jeimer Candelario, 1B/3B

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In pretty much any other organization, Jeimer Candelario might already have a major league job by now.

The 23-year-old has been playing pro ball for seven years and has only gotten better as the competition has gotten tougher. He had a .959 OPS in 76 games for the Triple-A Iowa Cubs last season and is slashing .340/.443/.649 in 28 games for them this campaign.

"He's in the zone. He's really focusing on at-bats, getting a good pitch," Iowa hitting coach Desi Wilson said last month, per Josh Jackson of MiLB.com. 

But, here's the rub: Candelario plays third base and first base.

Those are the last positions the Chicago Cubs need help at. They have reigning NL MVP Kris Bryant at third and perennial MVP contender Anthony Rizzo at first. And both are in for the long haul.

What the NL Central club does need is starting pitching help. Its starters have regressed from a league-best 2.96 ERA in 2016 to a 4.64 ERA this season (24th in MLB). 

The Cubs don't need a front-line starter. Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta and Kyle Hendricks can handle that. But with Brett Anderson feeling the bite of the injury bug for the umpteenth time, the Cubs could use a reliable innings eater at the back end.

Candelario doesn't just have the numbers to attract such a pitcher. As the Cubs' No. 4 prospect and the No. 87 prospect overall, he also has the acclaim.

Colorado Rockies: Ryan McMahon, 3B/1B

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Ryan McMahon understands Candelario's pain.

McMahon was a third baseman when the Colorado Rockies drafted him in the second round in 2013. Once Nolan Arenado emerged as a superstar at the hot corner, the Rockies moved him to first base. They then signed Ian Desmond to play the position for five years.

Despite not having a clear path to the majors, McMahon is raking. He has a .336/.392/.570 slash line through 27 games for the Double-A Hartford Yard Goats. This is after the 22-year-old finished 2016 stronger than he started it, so what he's doing now is more staying on a roll than getting on one.

As of now, McMahon is only Colorado's No. 8 prospect. But he entered 2016 as a top-100 prospect and could be one again at this rate.

Meanwhile, the Rockies are 20-12 and in first place in the NL West. There is a question about the sustainability of their hot start. And if they are going to sustain it, they'll need starting pitching.

The Rockies have mostly survived on strong starts by Antonio Senzatela and Kyle Freeland and shutdown work from their bullpen. But Senzatela and Freeland are rookies, and their bullpen has already handled 108.2 innings.

It sure would help if the Rockies had another starter to provide solid innings. McMahon is just the guy they can part with to go get one of those.

Data courtesy of Baseball Reference.