If we learned anything from last week’s Montero-Pineda swap, it’s that you can’t predict baseball. No one could have foreseen this trade, nor did anyone expect the trades surrounding or a few years ago. With the open spot in the lineup and , there is a good chance the Yankees are looking for a bat through trade. In the spirit of long-shot trades, I decided to collect the longest of shots that realistically fit the team’s needs.
At this point I should offer you some sort of warning. Trade musing is all fun and games until someone gets hurt. In the coming days, weeks, perhaps months, we’ll have all sorts of speculation on who the Yankees should sign or trade for; what you believe is up to you. Adding to our rotation or to our imaginary rosters is what makes the offseason bearable, so have an open mind when we get into these sorts of discussion. After all, Pineda on the Yankees would have been one of the crazier trade scenarios back in October.
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, 1B
Pros- This one starts from a little rumor started by a . The 2011 Rookie of the Year runner up was good for a .254/.291/.477 line. Most impressively, he hit 29 homeruns, 14 at home, in a stadium that hates the long-ball. Trumbo may be expendable to the Angels after signing first baseman to a massive ten year deal. With that, the young righty fits into the Yankees lineup at DH or a corner outfield spot once Swisher’s contract expires.
Cons- Trumbo isn’t a Yankee type bat. Throughout Cashman’s tenure he’s made it no secret that his players need to draw walks. Working pitch counts has become a notorious part of the team’s offensive barrage, and Trumbo walked only 25 times through 573 plate appearances. His on-base-percentage didn’t even break .300. The homerun total cannot be discounted, but for the price the Yankees will have to pay, his lack of patience won’t be overlooked.
, 3B
Pros- With the DH opening up, moving recently injury-plagued to a full time hitting position may prolong his bat for the six very expensive years left on his contract. In this case, a third base spot opens up, and switch hitting becomes a very intriguing name. In his 2011, injury shortened season, Headley hit .289/.374/.399. While not the biggest or brightest of numbers, his career splits home and away are eye opening. In 997 plate appearances at spacious Petco Park, he has hit a career .229/.319/.336, and in 1117 away plate appearance he hit .303/.364/.441. At 28 years old this season, and with three years left of team control, you can argue that Headley has more value to a team that’s home field helps his bat.
Cons- Headley’s biggest negative would be his cost. A .735 OPS wouldn’t typically demand a big return, but the Padres understand the type of value Headley could have in another home park. Reportedly, .
Brett Wallace, 1B
Pros- A first round draft pick in 2008 and big time prospect, Wallace spent time with four different organizations before his 24th birthday. 2011 was the first season he started at first base, where he hit .259/.334/.369 before a demotion in early August. Although Wallace spent his entire major league career at first base, the majority of his minor league time was at third. He is still young at 25 and projects to have a lot of lefty pop, something the Yankees should be looking for out of their designated hitter or third baseman spot.
Cons- Wallace status as a big time prospect comes from his heavy hitting in the Pacific Coast League, one that’s notorious for inflating offensive numbers. Moving between four different organizations might be an indication of the overvaluing that each team saw in his bat. There’s also a very good reason that the Astros switched him to first base, his defense at third was flimsy. As defense goes, Wallace at third is not an upgrade over Arod.
Gonna have to pick a new number buddy.
, OF
Pros- This time last year, Brown rated as the fourth best prospect in baseball according to Baseball America. But, the Phillies have shown every indication that they have little faith in the 24 year old. After hitting .245/.333/.391 last year, his team traded two of their top prospects for outfielder , who is under team control until 2014, and with fan favorite and breakout player finishing off the outfield, there aren’t any clear openings for Brown in 2012. A few embarrassing outfield plays, and this , has ruined a lot of his five-tool prospect hype in Philadelphia, and around baseball. He could be a buy low if you believe in his star potential, he would fit into right field, where Swisher becomes the DH in 2012.
Cons- For the type of prospect that Brown is, he’s at a low trade value, but that doesn’t mean he would cost nothing. He most likely nets the biggest return on this entire list, and for a player with such little major league experience, the buyer should be wary. Prospect hype isn’t uncommon in the Phillies’ farm system, so the price would have to be right for the Yankees.
, 2B/3B
Pros- After being selected as the eighth overall pick in 2008, Beckham flew through the minor leagues, and had a huge rookie year in 2009. Since then, he’s been one of the worst offensive second basemen, hitting .241/.306/.356. For a , who traded Swisher to Cashman for peanuts, Beckham has buy low written all over him. His righty bat might not be the perfect fit, but he has experience at both 3B and SS, positions the Yankees should target. He still has significant potential if he can ever replicate his rookie season. (.270/.347/.460)
Cons- Like I mentioned above, Beckham was awful in 2010 and 2011. His bad plate appearances now outnumber his good ones, and thus he could become the biggest bust on the list. The 25 year olds numbers are only getting worse, so a trade would be a significant gamble.
, 3B
Pros- He grew up in the New York area, played for the Bay Side Yankees, and eventually was drafted second overall in 2008. As a prospect, he mashed through the Pirates minor league system and showed huge lefty power potential. In 2010 he hit 16 homeruns, and posted a batting line of .256/.326/.461. Last year was a complete failure though; through 262 plate appearances he hit .191/.272/.289. Those numbers are far from his true ability, and he is a clear buy low candidate. He’ll be 25 in February and has star ability.
Cons- Alvarez strikes out way too much with a career 30.7% strikeout rate. He also has a lefty/righty split that might scare a team away. Kevin Long seems to be successful with lefties ailing in both categories, but what he can’t fix is defense. Alvarez hasn’t impressed many with his glove work at third, and might not be an upgrade over Arod. Like Dominic Brown, he would also require some big trade pieces from the Yankees.
There are plenty of young trade targets out there, including , who Domenic wrote about yesterday. As fans suffering through the cold baseball-less months of winter, we need to have fun with these sorts of names. So I challenge the TYA readers to come up with your own long-shot trade targets. Someone is bound to predict Cashman’s next move.
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Question is what we think of Mitchell, Phelps and Warren. If they are just AAA surplusage, then a trade is in order, since they won’t pitch for us anyway. If we think they have value in our rotation, then stand pack and sign someone like Damon or Betemit to a one year deal, or go with Laird.
If they sign someone, my money is still on Eric Chavez. Cheap, lefty, third baseman, and he wants to come back; thats a perfect fit.
I wonder how much truth there is to the rumblings that they are going to let Jorge Vazquez try to take some DH AB’s?
OK, here’s one. If Fielder ends up in Washington then Adam LaRoche is expendable. Yes, he’s coming back from an injury but he’s slightly cheaper than Pena ($8 million + $1 million buy-out) and before he got hurt had decent career numbers against RHP. A lesser prospect or two and the salary relief might get it done.
On that same level, I saw rumors of Adam Dunn for AJ. You’d have to figure I’m that the White Sox eat some money. That kinda deal eats into their 2014 salary too.
Can the Big Donkey make shaving cream pies?
Why not shoot for the moon? The way I figure it we have AJ Burnett, Phil Hughes, Nick Swisher, Brett Gardner, Dellin Betances, Austin Romine, one of Slade Heathcott/Mason Williams/Ravel Santana, two of Adam Warren/David Phelps/DJ Mitchell, Corban Joseph, Mike Adams, Brandon Laird all as trade chips. Your telling me that you cant trade a bunch of these guys for a young talented corner outfielder? They are all blocked at the major league level, or because or organizational depth in the minors, can eventually be replaced in a year or two.
A perfect fit would be Travis Snider. Lefty power, can play 1B or OF, and Blue Jays would be selling low.
Nice find, Snider just missed this list. His K% (way too high) and BB% (way too low) scared me. You can also see that his BABIP is fairly high for such a low batting average, and when you look at the LD%, his 2008 season was unsustainable. He’s also facing wrist tendinitis, which may not sound like a big deal, but could affect him throughout his career.
He’s got star potential, but I liked him the least of the buy low players.
anyone interested in Jason Giambi?
He is old but can still mash
I love Pedro Alvarez’s potential. He does strikeout at an alarming rate but his upside and the fact that he plays third would make him a great target at the right price. He would be the DH but could also spell Alex at 3B, and once Alex starts to take over DH on a more permanent basis he just slides into Alex’s starti g spot.
He’s young enough to demand a higher price than many on this list, yet he hasn’t proven enough for me to be willing to give up a guy like Banuelos. I would try and offer a package centered around Betances. I still feel Dellin is most likely to end up in the pen, but that kind of high upside arm is something the Pirates should covet. Maybe something like Betances, Heathcott, and Laird would work. They’d have to love the upside of Slade and Dellin to do it, or be fed up with Alvarez but I wouldn’t go much higher with risk reward players than that for a guy coming off such a power season with a risk reward potential as Alvarez.