As we start March, a little more than a month remains until Opening Day, and there are still some teams that have weaknesses that need to be addressed. Unless a young player or veteran steps up and does well enough to at least temporarily fill the void, the only way for teams to fix these deficiencies at this date is through trades.
Contending teams could maker bigger trades that could put them over the top. Although we’re more accustomed to these types of trades happening at the winter meetings or at the trade deadline, there is no reason that trend can’t be bucked. How about a blockbuster or two shocking the baseball world?
With that in mind, here are trade ideas -- big and small -- that I’d like to see come to fruition between now and the season opener.
Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants
Giants get: OF Andrew McCutchen and cash
Pirates get: RHP Tyler Beede, 2B Christian Arroyo and LHP Andrew Suarez
Why it works …
… for the Giants: The Giants are built to win another World Series right now and, as they have in the past, need to go for it. McCutchen would play center field for them, the position he prefers, and Denard Span could be shifted to left field. Currently, the Giants have Jarrett Parker and Mac Williamson competing for the left-field job.
McCutchen is only 30 years old and is primed for a strong comeback season. He’s a strong clubhouse presence and would fit in great with the Giants' culture. McCutchen has hit 20 or more home runs for six consecutive seasons, and although his slash line dipped last year, it was mostly because of lingering injuries rather than decline. He would really lengthen the lineup and bring the Giants much closer to the Dodgers in the NL West. The Giants are paying a steep price in prospects for this proposed deal, so the Pirates will have to pay part of McCutchen’s 2017 salary to offset the trade balance.
The Giants would control McCutchen's contract through 2018 and could extend him at some point.
… for the Pirates: Trading McCutchen, the face of the franchise, would be the most unpopular move this administration has ever made. However, they already told the world they were going to trade him, and then when they didn’t, the Pirates told McCutchen he had to play right field. It’s only a matter of time before they deal him, so they might as well get it done before the season starts.
The Pirates would get the Giants' top pitching prospect, Tyler Beede, who was their first-round pick in 2014 out of Vanderbilt. He’s coming off a solid season going 8-7 with a 2.81 ERA at Richmond in the Eastern League. He would fit nicely in the Pirates' long-term starting rotation behind Gerrit Cole, Jameson Taillon and Tyler Glasnow.
Arroyo would give the Pirates the heir apparent to Josh Harrison at second base, while Suarez would give them starting pitching depth. Suarez was the Giants' second-round pick in the 2015 June draft. In his first two minor league seasons, he is 11-8 with a 3.20 ERA but has more hits given up (186) than innings pitched (183).
Josh Bell, once he gets healthy, can be moved to fill the gap left by McCutchen in right -- until rookie Austin Meadows is ready, which could be sometime later this summer.
Houston Astros and Chicago White Sox
Astros get: LHP Jose Quintana
White Sox get: OF Kyle Tucker and RHP David Paulino
Why it works …
… for the Astros: The Astros' payroll will approach a franchise record of $119 million this year. As legitimate World Series contenders, a team can’t get this close and not go for it. One more premium starter should put them over the top, and Quintana would be a perfect fit.
Quintana, 28, has been a model of consistency. He has made at least 32 starts in each of the past four seasons, reaching 200 or more innings every year with ERAs between 3.20 and 3.51. With the Astros having concerns about the health of their best starting pitchers, Dallas Keuchel and Lance McCullers Jr., it’s a no-brainer for them to make this deal, even at an exorbitant cost.
… for the White Sox: The White Sox get their long-term answer for left field in Tucker, who is 20 and was the Astros' first-round pick and the fifth player taken in the June 2015 draft. He profiles to being a 15-home-run, 30-stolen-base type in the major leagues when he arrives sometime around 2019.
Paulino, 23, is a 6-foot-7, 220-pound right-hander who was in the majors for a cup of coffee last year. He repeats his delivery, which is remarkable, considering his lengthy limbs. His fastball is mostly 92-95 mph with a good downward angle, which causes special tailing action because of his size. His curveball is inconsistent but overall has a high ceiling. The White Sox would prefer to get a third player, like they were able to do in the Adam Eaton trade, but for the Astros to give up two prospects of this magnitude should be enough to make this trade happen.
Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs
Cubs get: CF Billy Hamilton
Reds get: OF Albert Almora Jr. and 2B Ian Happ
Why it works …
… for the Cubs: The Cubs need a leadoff hitter after Dexter Fowler departed for the St. Louis Cardinals as a free agent, and Hamilton could fill that void. As shown by his improvement with his .321 on-base percentage last season -- he projects to .340 this season -- he’s finally starting to develop at the plate.
He has stolen 55 or more bases for three straight seasons, and at 26 years old, he is just entering his prime. Hamilton's blazing speed gives him the potential for 70-plus stolen bases. This will force pitchers to throw more fastballs to Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo & Co. Ben Zobrist could help Hamilton learn to better work counts and draw more walks, and when Hamilton does that, watch out.
Hamilton also has great range in the outfield. Put him with Gold Glove right fielder Jason Heyward, and they will save a lot of hits and runs in the gaps. Almora would be expendable because of Hamilton, and Happ is blocked by Zobrist, Javier Baez and Kyle Schwarber.
… for the Reds: The Reds control Hamilton's contract for only three more years, but they would be able to control Almora's and Happ's deals for six major league seasons. Hamilton is also arbitration-eligible next offseason, which means he’ll start getting expensive, while Almora and Happ won’t be eligible for three more years, at least. The Reds get significant financial and control savings in this deal, and that should help their long-term rebuilding process.
Almora is a plus defender in center field, while Happ would be the key to the deal for the Reds. He’s ranked as high as the Cubs' second-best prospect behind Eloy Jimenez, and he profiles to a 20-home-run, 20-stolen-base-type producer, who has special on-base skills, which most scouts think will end up at around a .380 OBP. Happ also has versatility, as he can play second or any of the outfield positions.
Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays
Tigers get: CF Melvin Upton Jr. and cash
Blue Jays get: RHP Adam Ravenelle
Why it works…
… for the Tigers: The Detroit Tigers' center-field position is up for grabs, with Mikie Mahtook, newly acquired from the Rays, competing with veteran Tyler Collins and rookie JaCoby Jones. The problem is none of the three has a “hit” tool that is ready to hold his own at the major league level, and the Tigers desperately need an upgrade if they want to contend for the division or secure a wild-card berth.
Jones would be best off developing more at Triple-A, while Collins and Mahtook are better suited as fourth or fifth outfielders. Reuniting Melvin with his brother Justin just makes sense. They played together with the Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres, so the Tigers could make it a trifecta.
Melvin, 32, slugged 20 home runs and stole 27 bases last year with the Padres and Blue Jays, and his speed/power combination would work well in the bottom of the Tigers lineup. He’s still a solid center fielder with good range, and in the spacious confines of Comerica Park, he would be a perfect fit between right fielder J.D. Martinez and Justin in left.
The Padres are paying most of Upton’s contract, but in this deal I am proposing, the Blue Jays would agree to pay the balance down to the league minimum because the Tigers don’t want to add payroll. With Upton, the Tigers solve center field for the short term, as his contract is set to expire at season’s end, and then they can hope Jones is ready to take over next season.
If they get to the trade deadline and are not in the race, the Tigers can look to spin Upton for a return similar to what they are giving up now. With the Blue Jays and Padres paying his full salary, to give up one pitching prospect makes sense.
… for the Blue Jays: Ravenelle has a mid-90s fastball with sink and a nasty slider that could develop into a wipeout pitch. The Vanderbilt graduate has good makeup and intelligence; he just needs to harness his command and control if he’s going to reach his potential at the big league level. The Blue Jays have traded a boatload of prospects the past few years, so this is an opportunity to start replenishing their system.
What makes Upton expendable? The Blue Jays are planning on Justin Smoak as their everyday first baseman, Kevin Pillar as the everyday center fielder and Jose Bautista in right field. In left field, their present plan is for Steve Pearce, Ezequiel Carrera and Upton to share the position, though it sounds like they’re planning on playing Pearce over Upton against left-handed pitching. Upton does not profile well as a part-time or platoon player because of his swing path and approach.
The Blue Jays want to continue to build their farm system, and getting Ravenelle from the Tigers would add another pitching prospect to their arsenal.
New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals
Mets get: 1B Matt Adams
Cardinals get: OF Brandon Nimmo
Why it works …
… for the Mets: Mets first baseman Lucas Duda missed most of last season with a stress fracture in his back and has already received cortisone shots in both hips to start spring training. The Mets are so desperate that they’ve started working out right fielder Jay Bruce at first base.
The cleanest and best solution would be to trade for Adams, who lost his starting job with the Cardinals to Matt Carpenter in the offseason. Although just a platoon first baseman, Adams is in great shape and rakes against right-handed pitchers. A platoon of Wilmer Flores and Adams at first base for the Mets would be a better idea than having Bruce change positions.
The Mets' present outfield plan is Bruce in right field, Curtis Granderson in center and Yoenis Cespedes in left. They plan for Juan Lagares to be their defensive center-field replacement and to start against some left-handed pitchers. Michael Conforto is their next corner outfielder, and the Mets are so high on Conforto that they turned down a J.D. Martinez deal for him. That leaves Nimmo on the block. Nimmo, who is stuck behind the outfield logjam, has a good swing but doesn’t have the power or speed to have any type of impact at the major league level.
… for the Cardinals: The Cardinals would reduce their payroll by trading Adams and his $2.8 million salary, which would free payroll space for future moves.
In addition, Nimmo would give the Cardinals a left-handed hitter who would help them occasionally in left field when they want to sit Randal Grichuk against tough right-handers. Nimmo can play all three outfield positions and profiles as a solid fourth outfielder to give the Cardinals more depth to go with injury-prone Tommy Pham and Jose Martinez.