When it comes to trades made between Major League Baseball’s 30 franchises, the most fascinating ones involve clubs trading players in a position of strength. Consider, for example, the recent three-player trade that sent outfielder Daulton Varsho from Arizona Diamonds to Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for receiver Gabriel Moreno and outfielder Lourdes-Gurriel Jr. The Diamondbacks had too many talented outfielders, the Blue Jays too many talented receivers. So what did they do? They solve each other’s impasses.
The Varsho deal, in concert with an otherwise sluggish trade market this offseason, has us here at CBS Sports thinking of other teams that might be well-equipped to strike similar deals strength for strength. Below are five such teams that have positional groups that would lend themselves to serving in a Blue Jays-type capacity, in which they trade a talented, albeit somewhat stuck, player for another player who fills a need. . .
But first, we’re legally obligated to implore you to consider this a thought experiment. With that out of the way, let’s get into the clumsiness, stumbles, and rumbles. (Note that there is no real rhyme or reason behind the order of the teams.)
No other MLB The organization has more compelling left-wing prospects than the Reds. Just last summer they added Noelvi Marte, Edwin Arroyo, spencer steer, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Cam Collarand Sal Stewart through the trades and the draft to a group that already included notables like Elly De La Cruz, Matt McLain, Tyler Callihanand Jose Torres, among others. Cruz (#11) and Marte (#13) Both made CBS Sports’ Top 20 Prospects list, and Arroyo and Collier were not far away. The Reds, still in the talent accumulation phase of their rebuild, would be wise to move some players they consider foreign to fill other holes in their depth chart.
We’ve already mentioned the potential blockage of the Brewers’ outfield. The short version is that they enter the season with a starting lineup that includes Christian YelichGarrett Mitchell and Tyrone Taylor or another medium option. They will have the chance to replace the latter in due course, because the best hopes Sal Frelick and Joey Weimer are set to begin their Triple-A years. Additionally, Jackson Chourio, one of the hottest prospects in all of sport, will kick off his 2023 Double-A campaign. If Chourio plays like he did last season, he could work his way into the majors before celebrating his 20th birthday and leaving the Brewers with more talented outfielders than roster spots.
also, we’ve covered the new Rangers pitching depth elsewhere. Texas continued to sign, re-sign and trade veterans, giving them a starting five that should feature a combination of Jacob of Grom, Nathan Eovaldi, Andrew HeaneMartin Perez, Jon Grayand Jake Odorizzi. Additionally, the Rangers have several youngsters who have not yet fully established themselves in the majors they could move; thought Taylor Hearnthe injured person Dane Dunning, Glenn Otto, spencer howardand cole ragans. As if that weren’t enough, there’s also an incoming crop of recent high draft picks, including the top five picks. Jack Leiter and Rocking Kumar and the 2018 duo of Owen White and Cole Win. It shouldn’t surprise anyone if Rangers move some of the above names over the next few weeks to improve their attacking output.
As with the Brewers, the Cardinals are projecting toward more talented outfielders than they have roster spots. St. Louis is likely to enter the year with a combination of Dylan Carlson, Tyler O’Neill, Lars Nootbaarand Juan Yepez. They will have Alec Burleson on the bench and a pair of intriguing (albeit from very different backgrounds) thumpers at the ready: former minor league free agent signing Moisés Gomez, and former first-round pick and top prospect Jordan Walker. The Cardinals look almost certain to trade from their outfield depth before August. O’Neill, by far the closest to free agency, appears to be the most likely to leave.
We started with an Ohio-based team’s collection of infielders, ended with another. The Guardians have plenty of in-between options to offer other teams. They are likely to open the 2023 campaign with Amed Rosario and Andrés Giménez as a double game combination, but they will have Gabriel Arias and Tyler Freeman around in an emergency. The depth of Guardians goes far beyond these four as well, with some intriguing insights Brian Rocchio and Jose Tena in Triple-A, and Angel Martinez at Double-A. You can understand if the Guardians want to retain more depth than they normally would – Rosario is an imminent free agent, after all – but they should still be able to part with one or two of these players to get up to speed. level elsewhere. at some point between now and the trade deadline.
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