When it comes to trades between Major League Baseball’s 30 franchises, the most attractive are clubs replacing players from strong positions. As an example, consider the recent three-player exchange that sent Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Dalton Bacho to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for catcher Gabriel Moreno and outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. There are many talented catchers. So what did they do? They resolved each other’s impasses.
Varsho’s deal coincides with an otherwise lethargic trade market this off-season, and think of other teams well-equipped to do similar strength-for-strength deals on CBS Sports. Here are five teams with good positional clusters to serve in Blue Jays-like capacity. There, you trade a talented player for another player who fills the needed space.
But first, I’m legally obligated to ask you to think of this as just a thought experiment. Let it get out of the way and go mumbling, stumbling and rumbling. (Note that there is no real rhythm or reason behind the team order.)
No other MLB organization has more compelling left-sided prospects than the Reds. Last summer alone, Noëlvi Marte, Edwin Arroyo, Spencer Stair and Christian Encarnacion joined the group, which already featured celebrities such as Elie de la Cruz, Matt McClane and Tyler Callihan. Added Strand, Kam Collier, and Sal Stewart through trade and draft. such as Jose Torres. Cruz (No. 11) and Marte (No. 13) both put him on CBS Sports’ top 20 list, and Arroyo and Collier weren’t far behind either. The Reds are still in the process of accumulating rebuilding talent, so it would be wise to move some players they consider irrelevant to fill other holes in their depth chart.
We’ve previously mentioned the Brewers’ potential outfield stalemate. The short version is that you’re entering the season with a starting group that includes Christian Yelich, Garrett Mitchell, Tyrone Taylor, or some other so-so option. With plans to start a few years in the A’s, they have a chance to replace the latter in due course. Additionally, Jackson Tullio, one of the most promising players in the entire sport, will start his 2023 campaign in Double-A. increase. If Turio plays like he did last season, he could reach the majors before his 20th birthday and leave the Brewers with a more talented outfielder than his roster slot.
Similarly, the Rangers’ newfound pitching depth was covered elsewhere. Texas continues to sign, re-sign and trade veterans, and the first five should feature a combination of Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eobaldi, Andrew Heaney, Martin Perez, John Gray and Jake Odrizzi In addition, the Rangers have several youngsters who have yet to fully establish themselves in the majors who can be transferred. Think Taylor Hahn, the injured Dane Dunning, Glenn Otto, Spencer Howard, Cole Reagans. As if that wasn’t enough, there’s also a crop of recent high-draft picks for him, including the top five Jack Reiter and Kumar Locker, Owen his White-Calwin duo in 2018. It shouldn’t surprise anyone if the Rangers move some of the above names over the next few weeks to improve their offense.
Like the Brewers, the Cardinals pitch to more talented outfielders than their roster slots. St. Louis is likely going into a year that rocks the combination of Dylan Carlson, Tyler O’Neill, Lars Nutvar and Juan Yepes. Just call ), although the ground is very different. The Cardinals seem almost certain to be traded from outfielders heading into August. O’Neill, closest to free agency, seems most likely to leave.
I started with the infielder collection for an Ohio-based team. Let’s finish with another team. Guardian has a lot of half-baked options to offer other teams. The 2023 season will likely open with the double-play duo of Amed Rosario and Andrés Jimenez, but Gabriel Arias and Tyler Freeman will accompany him in case of emergency. The Guardians tier is also well over these four, with interesting prospects in Triple-A in Brayan Roccio and Josetena and Double-A in Angel Martinez. It’s understandable if the Guardians want to hold more depth than usual – after all, Rosario is imminent free agency – but they’re still willing to let one or two of those players go to make the other You should be able to upgrade in place.At some point between now and the deal deadline.