Trade Deadline Buyers

Last time we talked about potential sellers in this upcoming years trade market.  Where there are sellers there has to be buyers.  Then there are the on lookers, the people that look at what’s happening with the other teams and gauges the potential outcomes to see if they need to make a last minute upgrade or move to counter a move.  The buyers market is a lot harder to guess now and days for 1 simple fact, many teams don’t want to give up the good prospects for the known quantity anymore.  Look at the Yankees as an example, for years they would look at the far system as a tool to trade away and get players that they thought would help them now.  But more importantly look for players that they know what there are getting, trading for Ichiro Sasuki for instance is that kind of trade.  Now and days with the birth of the new way of thinking about statistics, more importantly sabermetric, has also brought a new way of thinking about prospects.  Teams are more likely to take a risk on a guy like Matt Harvey or Jose Fernandez and pass on acquiring the known quantity of guys like Cliff Lee and Bud Norris.

            The new ideas on prospects haven’t changed the game entirely just in the way the general managers look at the guys they have on the farm.  If a team thinks that acquiring Cliff Lee is the best way to win now then the team is most likely going to jump at the chance.  With this in mind lets take a look at the potential buyers in this upcoming trade deadline.  Note that this can change very quickly, many of the teams I list may never be in contention or could just fall out before the deadline.

1)   Anaheim Angels- this will all depend on how the Angels bounce back from such a disappointing season so far.  The main weakness has been the pitching and unlike last year the problems are not just in the bullpen.  Weak starters are costing the Angels big time.  I don’t see them going after any position players per say but it can happen if Jerry Dipoto, the Angels GM, decides to just go for broke and have a pure offensive team and forgoes pitching all together.  I can see them making a play at Jeremy Hellickson if the Rays become sellers as I mentioned before.  One downside is the Angels have the worst farm system in the league.  Any sort of trade will cost them whatever talent they have left.

2)   Los Angeles Dodgers- along the same lines as the Angels comes the other LA team with the Dodgers looking to be buyers.  While their needs aren’t as clear yet as the Angels the Dodgers do need help.  The bullpen has become a liability as of late and that come make them consider guys like Steve Cishek or Fernando Rodney to try and bolster the pen.  They could also make a play at Hellickson but I don’t think the Dodgers feel that starting pitching is as much of a need as bullpen help could be.  I don’t see them making a play at position players at the moment, baring any more injuries.

3)   Cleveland Indians and Pittsburg Pirates- I’m kind of cheating here putting 2 teams in the same spot but both these guys have similar situations.  Neither teams are guaranteed to make the playoffs; they may not even be in contention by the trade deadline.  But if they are in the mix I can see both teams looking to sure up any weak links they can get cheaply.  Bullpen, starters, position players and bench players all of them would be on the radar.  I don’t expect to see these teams during the deadline make any big moves but stranger things have happened.

4)   New York Yankees- the team is good and I can only see then making moves for 1 reason, injuries.  If they can stay healthy I don’t see them needing to find people to trade for.  With the Yankees trying to get younger and work the farm system like other teams have it makes little sense that they would start trading top talent unless they had no choice.

5)   San Francisco Giants- this team could be one that goes for broke looking for a bat or pitcher.  If their pitching can get itself back on track they could focus on getting a good hitter to try and add some power.  They could make a play for Chase Utley if he truly goes on the market.  He seems to be a good fit; good defense and a guy that could help get runs across.  When you’re on the Giants homerun power doesn’t have the same value, double and gap power is more valuable to them and that’s what Utley can bring.  Depending on the way the pitching shapes out look for them to make a play at someone.

6)   Texas Rangers- Pure and simple on this one.  They have the best farm system in the league and they have 1 thing that no other team can offer, Jurickson Profar.  He’s the #1 prospect in all of baseball and the Rangers don’t need him; with Elvis Andurs and Ian Kinsler at SS and 2^nd base respectively they don’t need Profar and can use him to get any player on the market they want.  David Price and Giancalo Stanton are rumored to be the main targets for them.

As with the sellers list this is in no way set in stone, teams will come in and out of contention between now and the deadline.  The idea of these posts was to give you an idea of what could happen and, if it does happen, could be possible reasons to the team’s decisions.