B/R MLB Community: Grading Fan Trade Proposals 2 Months from 2021 Deadline
The 2021 MLB trade deadline is still two months away, but it's never too early to start hypothetically building blockbuster trade proposals.
That's what B/R readers were tasked with doing in this week's MLB community post, and as you might expect, the results were a mixed bag of lopsided deals favoring that fan's favorite team and well-rounded trade packages worth seriously considering.
Ahead we've selected a sampling of the best and worst to highlight with further analysis.
Each trade idea was given a letter grade of A, B, C, D or F based on how well-balanced the two sides of the proposal were and how realistic the deal was for both teams.
Let the fun begin!
Richard Rodriguez to the Los Angeles Dodgers
1 of 10
To LAD: RP Richard Rodriguez, RF Gregory Polanco
To PIT: C Diego Cartaya
User: @pittsburghbob25
I like this idea in theory, but I'm not sure the Pirates would be willing to drag down the trade value of Richard Rodriguez by attaching him to Gregory Polanco.
It would have made more sense to explore a salary dump a few years ago when there were still multiple years left on Polanco's contract, but at this point, he's in the final year of his deal with a $3 million buyout on a $12.5 million option in 2022.
That said, I still like the idea of the Dodgers targeting Rodriguez in exchange for a package built around catching prospect Diego Cartaya.
Rodriguez, 31, is controllable through the 2023 season, and he has a 1.61 ERA, 0.58 WHIP and six saves in 21 appearances. His strikeout rate has dipped from 13.1 to 6.9 strikeouts per nine innings this year, but he's having the best season of his career in all other aspects.
The Pirates do not have a catcher ranked among their top 30 prospects, according to Baseball America, while the Dodgers have Will Smith (26) and Keibert Ruiz (22) blocking Cartaya's path.
A one-for-one deal with Polanco removed from the equation might be worth considering for both sides.
Grade: B
John Means to the Atlanta Braves
2 of 10
To ATL: SP John Means, 1B Trey Mancini
To BAL: CF Cristian Pache, RHP Bryse Wilson and OF Trey Harris
User: @justinskinner
The Braves are not giving up enough here.
John Means is pitching like a bona fide Cy Young candidate right now with a 2.05 ERA and an AL-leading 0.80 WHIP in 70.1 innings, and he's doing it with an extremely team-friendly $555,500 salary. He's also controllable for three more years via arbitration, making him a far more valuable trade chip than Max Scherzer or any of the market's other rental arms.
The package of Cristian Pache, Bryse Wilson and Trey Harris might be enough to keep the Orioles on the phone in a straight-up deal for Means, but it's not also going to bring back Trey Mancini.
Aside from the fact that he has a 143 OPS+ with 11 home runs and 42 RBI on the year, he also means a tremendous amount to that organization. He's a veteran leader in a young clubhouse, the homegrown face of the franchise and an inspiring story in his return from colon cancer.
I'd be shocked if Mancini is on the move this summer.
Grade: D
Mike Minor to the Chicago Cubs
3 of 10
To CHC: SP Mike Minor
To KC: 2B Chase Strumpf, SP Brendon Little
User: @jjmalaprop
It was shocking to see how many users still expect the Chicago Cubs to be sellers.
After a rocky start to the season, the North Siders are now 31-23 and currently sit atop the NL Central standings. Sure, several key players are headed for free agency, but why would they sell?
If they remain in contention over the next two months, upgrading a starting rotation that ranks 19th in the majors with a 4.41 ERA figures to be the No. 1 priority before the deadline passes.
The Cubs have shown interest in Mike Minor in the past, and after a forgettable 2020 season, he has rebounded with a 3.80 FIP and 68 strikeouts in 60 innings after signing a two-year, $18 million contract that includes a 2023 club option during the offseason. The 33-year-old would add a durable innings-eater to the Cubs staff and would be more than just a two-month rental for a team in transition.
With a 55-hit/50-power offensive profile, Chase Strumpf is an attractive first piece, and he could slot alongside Bobby Witt Jr. as the double-play combination of the future in Kansas City.
Left-hander Brendon Little is also an intriguing secondary piece with a first-round pedigree as the No. 27 overall pick in the 2017 draft. It might take one more low-level flier to get a deal done, but this one makes a lot of sense.
Grade: A
Jesse Winker to the San Francisco Giants
4 of 10
To SF: LF Jesse Winker
To CIN: OF Alexander Canario, C Ricardo Genoves
User: @Nathan_Baller
Jesse Winker is hitting .348/.411/.635 for a 171 OPS+ with 10 doubles and 13 home runs, delivering on his former top-prospect status with the Cincinnati Reds. If the season ended today, he would likely be a top-10 finisher in NL MVP voting.
He's 27 and controllable through the 2023 season, so it's going to take a LOT more than a second-tier prospect in Alexander Canario and the third-best catching prospect in the Giants system to acquire him.
I like the idea of the Giants aggressively pursuing a controllable bat; they just need to be prepared to give up significantly more to get a deal done.
Adding someone like middle infielder Will Wilson to the package of swapping out Ricardo Genoves for 2020 first-round pick Patrick Bailey might start to move the needle for the Reds, but even then, the Giants would likely still need to add more to their side of the deal.
The basic idea of pursuing someone like Winker is sound, but the scales are nowhere near balanced on this one.
Grade: D
Max Scherzer Trades Galore
5 of 10
To LAD with RP Brad Hand in exchange for C Keibert Ruiz, OF DJ Peters, RHP Ryan Pepiot, RHP Dennis Santana (@southpaw1)
I'm not sure Scherzer is going to be a priority target for the Dodgers, but they could have significant interest in reliever Brad Hand. The three-time All-Star is a rental pitching on a one-year deal, so it won't cost Keibert Ruiz to acquire him, but some combination of other secondary pieces would help bolster a thin Nationals system.
Grade: C
To TOR with 3B Carter Kieboom, RP Will Harris in exchange for SS Bo Bichette, LF Lourdes Gurriel, C Alejandro Kirk (@Foxhole23)
The Blue Jays are not trading Bo Bichette. End of story.
Grade: F
To STL in exchange for 3B Nolan Gorman, LHP Matthew Liberatore (@ArkansasBoys)
The Cardinals are not going to give up the No. 37 prospect in baseball (Matthew Liberatore) and the No. 46 prospect in baseball (Nolan Gorman), according to Baseball America, for a two-month rental.
Grade: F
Yankees Fans... (Facepalm Emoji)
6 of 10
No one pumps out a higher volume of lopsided trade proposals than Yankees fans, so we've rounded up some of the highlights here on one slide.
CIN trades SP Tyler Mahle, RP Tejay Antone in exchange for 3B/OF Miguel Andujar, SS Anthony Volpe, RHP Yoendrys Gomez, SP Glenn Otto (@Bayou_Bomber_26)
Tyler Mahle is a 26-year-old with terrific stuff in the middle of a breakout season who is controllable through the 2023 season. Tejay Antone is controllable through 2025 and quickly emerging as one of the best relievers in baseball. This trade proposal has the Yankees giving up a player who fits best as an AL designated hitter and three prospects who are nowhere close to leaguewide top-100 lists.
Grade: F
TEX trades SP Kyle Gibson, RF Joey Gallo in exchange for SP Deivi Garcia, SP Luis Gil (@Bayou_Bomber_26)
Kyle Gibson is going to be a hot commodity on this year's trade market, and a package of Deivi Garcia and Luis Gil may ultimately not be enough to acquire him alone once other contenders start driving up his price. The Joey Gallo inclusion moves this one into ludicrous territory.
Grade: F
COL trades SS Trevor Story, SP German Marquez in exchange for SS Gleyber Torres, SP Clarke Schmidt, SP Yoendrys Gomez, C Antonio Gomez (@Kidvid_021)
Why would the Yankees trade three years of Gleyber Torres for two months of Trevor Story? Simply saying they can re-sign him is wishful thinking at best with free agency fast approaching. This is also not enough to acquire both Story and German Marquez. Marquez has one of the most team-friendly contracts in baseball and would command a blockbuster return on his own.
Grade: F
WAS trades SP Max Scherzer in exchange for SP Domingo German, OF Clint Frazier (@2HotScott)
If the Nationals are going to trade a beloved fan favorite like Max Scherzer, it’s not going to be for Domingo German, who was suspended 81 games following domestic violence allegations. This is a non-starter.
Grade: F
WAS trades SP Max Scherzer in exchange for 3B/OF Miguel Andujar, OF Clint Frazier, OF Estevan Florial (@jnieves4)
Classic! Yankees fans have been hypothetically packaging Miguel Andujar and Clint Frazier together to acquire some of the league's best players for several years running. Why stop now?
Grade: F
Trevor Story to the St. Louis Cardinals
7 of 10
To STL: SS Trevor Story, SP German Marquez
To COL: SS Paul DeJong, LHP Zack Thompson, OF Jhon Torres
User: @TCSBHaynesSports
One constant throughout this round of trade proposals was an undervaluing of German Marquez.
Every Trevor Story trade proposal seemed to include him as a throw-in piece, when in fact he is a blockbuster trade chip in his own right with arguably more trade value than Story, who is a straight rental. The 26-year-old is owed a combined $26.8 million in 2022 and 2023 with a $16 million club option for 2024, and he is making a team-friendly $7.8 million this season.
In 60 career starts away from Coors Field, he has a 3.52 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 363 innings, and his curveball ranks as one of the best off-speed pitches in baseball.
Zack Thompson and Jhon Torres are both quality prospects, but neither is a top-tier young talent, and those two alone would not come close to equaling Marquez in terms of trade value. Which means Paul DeJong would need to provide surplus value relative to what Story is worth.
With an ugly .177/.277/.371 line and 83 OPS+ to start the year, he doesn't come close, and the remaining years on his contract may actually detract from his value.
The Rockies were mismanaged enough to trade Nolan Arenado to the Cardinals for pennies on the dollar, but this would far exceed even that trade in terms of lopsidedness.
Grade: F
A Luis Castillo for Mitch Haniger Blockbuster
8 of 10
To CIN: RF Mitch Haniger, SP Justin Dunn
To SEA: SP Luis Castillo
User: @jfournier
Multiple trade proposals were built around a team buying low on Luis Castillo.
At surface level, his 7.22 ERA and 1.78 WHIP through 52.1 innings are ugly, but his 4.77 FIP and an absurdly high .371 BABIP provide plenty of reason for optimism.
The 28-year-old posted a 3.40 ERA with 226 strikeouts in 190.2 innings in 2019, then lowered his walk rate and raised his strikeout rate last year as he appeared to be on the cusp of elite status. With arbitration control through the 2023 season, he could be a long-term piece of the puzzle for a Seattle Mariners team ready to make the jump from rebuilding to contention.
What will he cost?
After two injury-plagued seasons, Mitch Haniger has a 144 OPS+ with 14 home runs and 36 RBI in 53 games, and he has one year of arbitration eligibility remaining in 2022.
While he would give the Reds another big bat, there is no clean fit in Cincinnati with Jesse Winker and Nick Castellanos locked into the corner outfield spots. Haniger has played some center field, but the defensive metrics (-5 DRS, -9.9 UZR/150) do not paint him as a viable everyday option.
Justin Dunn is a solid young starter with middle-of-the-rotation potential who has a 3.18 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 45 strikeouts in 45.1 innings, and he comes with two more years of club control than Castillo.
I don't think Haniger is a clean fit in Cincinnati, and I don't think Seattle is giving up enough here given Castillo's significant potential and remaining control. But I do like the idea of the Mariners targeting him.
Grade: C
An Absurd Kris Bryant-for-Bo Bichette Swap?
9 of 10
To TOR: IF/OF Kris Bryant, RP Craig Kimbrel, RP Ryan Tepera
To CHC: SS Bo Bichette, OF Randal Grichuk, SP Alek Manoah, SP Nate Pearson, SS/OF Austin Martin
User: @Don_Shmula
This one was simply too absurd not to include.
There's a website called BaseballTradeValues.com that assigns a value to each player and allows you to simulate potential trades to see if the teams are giving up equivalent value. It's not always the most realistic, but it does paint a clear picture of the ridiculousness of this particular proposal.
Here's a look at the two sides:
- To CHC: 264.7 trade value points
- To TOR: 12.3 trade value points
Austin Martin (15), Nate Pearson (16) and Alek Manoah (89) all rank among the top 100 prospects in baseball, according to Baseball America, while a case could be made that Bo Bichette is one of the 10-15 most valuable trade chips in all of baseball based on his age, production and remaining control.
All in exchange for two months of Kris Bryant, a middle reliever in Ryan Tepera and a late-inning arm in Craig Kimbrel, who is owed the remainder of a staggering $16 million salary.
There's still two months to go until the trade deadline, and we'll do several more of these graded trade proposal articles, but this is a strong early contender for most lopsided trade proposal of the year.
Grade: F
Kris Bryant to the San Francisco Giants
10 of 10
To SF: IF/OF Kris Bryant
To CHC: OF Hunter Bishop, SP Seth Corry, 3B Luis Toribio
User: @striplingwarrior
I'm not sold on the idea of the first-place Chicago Cubs trading Kris Bryant, even with free agency looming this offseason. But if he is made available, this was by far the most realistic trade proposal I saw.
With the versatility to play both corner infield spots and all three outfield positions, Bryant could be used all over the field for the Giants similar to the way the Cubs are deploying him this year.
In return, the Cubs would be adding three potential top-tier prospects to a top-heavy farm system lacking in quality depth.
Outfielder Hunter Bishop was the No. 10 overall pick in the 2019 draft after hitting .342/.479/.748 with 22 home runs during his junior season at Arizona State. He has the athleticism to stick in center field defensively and the power to profile at a corner spot.
Left-hander Seth Corry was one of the breakout prospects of 2019 when he posted a 1.76 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 172 strikeouts in 122.2 innings at Single-A. The 22-year-old still has work to do refining his command, evidenced by his 21 walks in 19 innings this year, but he would immediately slot behind Brailyn Marquez as the second-best pitching prospect in the Cubs system.
Third baseman Luis Toribio hit .296/.433/.454 with 22 extra-base hits in 247 plate appearances in his stateside debut in 2019, and he has been lauded for his elite exit velocity and consistent hard contact.
All three of those players could crack leaguewide top-100 prospect lists in the future, but it also doesn't gut the farm system of a Giants team building toward something bigger.
Grade: A (if a Bryant trade is available)
All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs.
