7 More Blockbuster MLB Trades That Could Still Strike This Offseason
With the free-agent market still struggling to get off the ground, the trade market has had to bear a heavy burden in keeping the hot-stove season worthy of headlines.
Since it may not be done bearing that burden just yet, let's look at some blockbusters that could still go down.
Ahead are seven loosely defined deals that are varying degrees of "likely" but are all at least "plausible." They're rooted in rumors that have popped up throughout the winter and concern potential suitors who have clear needs for the stars in question and the right assets to make a trade.
Not pictured is a potential deal sending Gerrit Cole from the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Houston Astros, which may or may not be in the works already. Otherwise, it's on with the show.
Billy Hamilton to the San Francisco Giants
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The San Francisco Giants began their winter going hard after reigning National League MVP Giancarlo Stanton. Now, it seems they've pivoted to Billy Hamilton.
Offensively, one of these things is not like the other. Stanton's 59 home runs in 2017 pushed his career total to 267 in only eight seasons. Hamilton has cranked 17 homers in five seasons with the Cincinnati Reds and is generally one of the worst hitters in Major League Baseball.
But, man, can he run.
The Giants could use his Flash-like speed on both sides of the ball, but especially on defense. He's accumulated 47 defensive runs saved as a center fielder since 2013. Within that same span, Giants center fielders own an MLB-worst minus-71 DRS.
According to Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic and Jon Morosi of MLB.com, the Reds have insisted on outfielder Heliot Ramos, the Giants' top prospect, in trade talks. Since Hamilton is a deeply flawed player with only two years of club control left, that's a stretch.
Still, it's not out of the question that the Giants could give in on Ramos. It's also not out of the question that they could sell the Reds on wild-card prospects instead, such as slugging catcher Aramis Garcia and/or sweet-swinging outfielder Bryan Reynolds.
Andrew McCutchen to the San Francisco Giants
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If the Giants can't pry Billy Hamilton from Cincinnati, they might focus on Andrew McCutchen instead. Or, they could aim for both.
According to Morosi, the Giants and Pirates have been talking about McCutchen since early in the offseason. As of now, he'd fit with the Giants as either a left fielder or center fielder.
But it's undoubtedly McCutchen's stick that the Giants covet most. He hasn't hit like his former MVP self over the last two years but is nonetheless coming off an .849 OPS and 28 homers. Both numbers would have greatly aided a Giants offense that finished last in the majors in both departments in 2017.
McCutchen's contract does complicate matters. The Giants are projected to be only $14.6 million short of the $197 million luxury tax threshold in 2018. The final year of McCutchen's contract counts as a $14.75 million tax hit.
However, that's not too big of a barrier for the two teams to get around if the prospect price is right.
The Pirates are said to be asking for one of the Giants' top three prospects. Slugging first baseman Chris Shaw happens to work well as a centerpiece. He's blocked by Brandon Belt in San Francisco. In Pittsburgh, he could play first while Josh Bell transitions to the outfield to make up for McCutchen's absence.
Avisail Garcia to the Toronto Blue Jays
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The Toronto Blue Jays could hold a heck of a fire sale if they wanted to. But by all accounts, they want to try to contend in 2018.
If so, they'd better go get Avisail Garcia.
He might not be the ideal candidate—J.D. Martinez and Lorenzo Cain are two free-agent options—to fill Jose Bautista's shoes in right field, but he's no slouch. After several years of disappointing returns, the 26-year-old finally blossomed as an All-Star in 2017 with an .885 OPS and 18 home runs.
The Chicago White Sox are indeed building something special for the future. Garcia, however, doesn't figure to still be around when the future arrives. He's only under club control for two more years.
Per Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Blue Jays are one of the teams that's inquired after Garcia. The question is whether they can offer anything that the White Sox don't already have. They already own the No. 2 farm system in MLB, as ranked by Bleacher Report.
How about an athletic center fielder who could one day be flanked by Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert? Anthony Alford is just that and arguably expendable for the Blue Jays as long as they have Kevin Pillar.
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Josh Donaldson to the St. Louis Cardinals
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Since the Blue Jays are indeed intent on contending, it's no wonder they're in no hurry to deal Josh Donaldson.
Sure, they only control him for one more season. But at last check, Morosi reported Jan. 4 that the team isn't "currently engaged" in any trade talks regarding the former MVP.
The St. Louis Cardinals really want him, though. So much so that, according to Nightengale, he takes precedent on their wish list over the decidedly more available Manny Machado.
If there's anything working in the Cardinals' favor, it's that they don't necessarily have to convince the Blue Jays to trade Donaldson for the sake of a rebuild. They have an array of less spectacular yet solid and more controllable major leaguers they could entice Toronto with.
Jedd Gyorko (signed through 2020) would be a serviceable fill-in for Donaldson at third base. Randal Grichuk (controlled through 2020) would boost the Blue Jays' power and fill an outfield slot. Luke Weaver (controlled through 2023) could join Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez in Toronto's rotation for the long haul.
Due to their considerable depth, the Cardinals can afford to deal all three players for Donaldson. Despite their current stance, the Blue Jays could have a hard time saying no.
Manny Machado to the Arizona Diamondbacks
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Should they fail in their pursuit of Josh Donaldson, no team suits Manny Machado quite like the Cardinals.
But don't discount the Arizona Diamondbacks in the race for the Baltimore Orioles' hard-hitting, slick-fielding third baseman.
According to ESPN's Buster Olney, they went hard after Machado when he first became available in December. According to Roch Kubatko of MASN, they recently "doubled back with renewed interest." Likewise, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic says they remain the "most persistent" team in the hunt.
The Diamondbacks' interest in Machado is presumably twofold. They need somebody who can give their offense something like the thump they got from J.D. Martinez last summer and fall. They also need an upgrade in the middle of their infield, where they're set to rely on Ketel Marte and Brandon Drury.
Machado has slammed over 30 homers three years in a row. He also wants to move from third base to shortstop in his final season before free agency. So, check and mate.
Baltimore's asking price for Machado, according to Rosenthal, is two young, controllable starting pitchers. In right-hander Jon Duplantier and left-hander Anthony Banda, the D-Backs have two top prospects who fit the bill. Or, a deal could involve one of them and a controllable member of Arizona's major league rotation, such as Taijuan Walker or Zack Godley.
Christian Yelich to the Atlanta Braves
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If they have it their way, the Atlanta Braves will make the mother of all trades and acquire outfielder Christian Yelich and catcher J.T. Realmuto from the Miami Marlins.
This is according to Morosi, anyway. The fact that it's even plausible is a testament to the absurd depth of Atlanta's farm system, which B/R ranked No. 1 largely because it has arguably baseball's best prospect (OF Ronald Acuna) and arms galore.
But, let's be real. Yelich and Realmuto are both excellent young players who have eight more years of club control between them. They also play for an NL East rival. A mega-blockbuster for both is something nobody should be waiting on.
Were the Braves to focus on just one of them, Yelich should be the guy. His five years of controllability trump Realmuto's three, and the Braves also have a bigger need in their outfield than they do at catcher.
Per Rosenthal, it could take three or four "genuine assets" to pry Yelich from Miami. That's doable for the Braves, and their pitching inventory would surely appeal to a Marlins team that lacks impact arms.
Right-handers Kyle Wright and Ian Anderson would fit Miami's plans to contend in the long term. The Braves could also throw in an MLB-ready arm (e.g., LHP Luiz Gohara, RHP Mike Soroka or LHP Kolby Allard) that the Marlins could plug in right away.
Michael Fulmer to the New York Yankees
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When Nightengale reported in December that the New York Yankees were asking about Michael Fulmer, it smelled like a ruse related to their concurrent pursuit of Gerrit Cole.
But now, it's hard not to wonder.
The Astros haven't stolen Cole from under the Yankees' noses just yet. But if they do, the team that bounced the Yankees from the playoffs en route to a World Series title will have gotten even better.
The Yankees' turning around and dealing for an even better pitcher would be quite the response.
It won't be easy. According to Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press, the Detroit Tigers will only entertain "lopsided" offers for Fulmer. The right-hander has already been a Rookie of the Year and an All-Star in two seasons. He's 24 years old and under club control for five more seasons.
A trade package for Fulmer would have to blow away the one the White Sox got for three-and-a-half years of Jose Quintana last summer. That included an elite prospect (Eloy Jimenez) and a top-100 pitcher (Dylan Cease).
However, the Yankees are one of very few teams that could handle such a trade. Within MLB's No. 3 farm system is Estevan Florial, a 20-year-old outfielder with the kind of athleticism the Tigers have long lacked. He'd be a fine centerpiece and could be flanked by two or more of the Yankees' top arms: left-hander Justus Sheffield and right-handers Chance Adams, Domingo Acevedo and Albert Abreu.
Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs. Payroll and luxury tax data courtesy of Cot's Baseball Contracts.
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