By: Nathaniel Ascher and Harold Klapper
Most AL East teams were active on the trade market this winter. The Yankees acquired James Paxton and shipped away Sonny Gray. The Rays got Mike Zunino and Yandy Diaz. The Blue Jays got Clayton Richard. Even though contenders such as the Red Sox, Yankees, and Rays improved their team on the free agent market, there is still room for improvement on all of these squads as well as the Blue Jays and Orioles. Here’s one trade every AL East team should make in 2019 along with their likelihood of happening:
Yankees: Trade OF’s Clint Frazier and Estevan Florial to Indians for SP Trevor Bauer
If one thing is certain about the Yankees it’s that they need an ace, desperately. Last year in the postseason they saw the effect of not having an ace and will need one for this upcoming World Series run they plan to make. A player they should have their eye on is Trevor Bauer on the Cleveland Indians. In 2018 Bauer had a 2.21 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and pitched a total of 175.1 innings. He has ace potential and would fit the Yankees system very well. In return for Bauer’s services, the Yankees would trade OF’s Clint Frazier and Estevan Florial. The Indians are in need of solid outfielders as they currently have one of the worst outfields in the league. Clint Frazier could help fix this problem instantly and Estevan Florial would be the future of the Indians due to his status as the Yankees top prospect. Both teams have their respective major flaws for championship contention, starting pitchers and a strong outfield. With this trade, these problems could be solved and both teams would be a step closer to winning it all. Likelihood of happening (5/10)
Rays: Trade SP Matthew Liberatore for RP’s Archie Bradley and Andrew Chafin
In 2018, the Rays invented the opener in order to get their opponents out more efficiently. This opener strategy requires a lot of relievers that can get the best players on every team out. Currently, the Rays have a good bullpen, but it isn’t lethal yet. To make their bullpen elite and be at the same level as the Yankees and Astros they should trade SP Matthew Liberatore for RP’s Archie Bradley and Andrew Chafin. Although they would be parting with a top 5 prospect in their organization, they have other elite pitching prospects, so it wouldn’t be that detrimental. The two relievers that they would receive would have an immediate effect in the 2019 season as RP Archie Bradley had an ERA of 1.73 and a WHIP of 1.04 in 2017 and RP Andrew Chafin had an ERA of 3.10 and a WHIP of 1.34 in 2018. The Diamondbacks, on the other hand, are beginning their rebuilding mode after having traded Paul Goldschmidt. They are in dire need of elite starting pitching prospects, such as Matthew Liberatore. Both the Rays and the Diamondbacks would be filling some of their holes with this trade. Likelihood of happening (2/10)
Orioles: Trade RP Mychal Givens and OF/1B Trey Mancini to Indians for OF George Valera and P Lenny Torres
The Orioles and Indians have both had dormant offseasons, and haven’t really improved their teams much. The Indians are in need of outfield and bullpen help, while the Orioles are looking to improve their farm system. In this trade, the Orioles would be sending RP Mychal Givens and OF/1B Trey Mancini to the Indians for two young and promising prospects. The Indians would be receiving two players that can make a serious impact on their 2019 MLB season. In 260.0 IP in his career, Mychal Givens has a 3.12 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and a 137 ERA+. On the other hand, in a 162 game season average, Trey Mancini would hit .268 with 27 HRS, with a 111 OPS+, indicating that he is a very solid player. On the Orioles side of the deal, they would get two top 15 prospects in the Indian’s organization, one catcher and one pitcher. These players are still both teenagers and would have plenty of time to develop in the minors while the Orioles continue their rebuild. Although the Orioles are losing two of their best players in Mancini and Givens, it’s going to take a while for them to start to compete with teams such as the Yankees and Red Sox, so they may as well trade them while their value is high. Likelihood of happening (4/10)
Red Sox: Trade C Blake Swihart and RHP Tanner Houck to the Marlins for CP Drew Steckenrider
The Red Sox have an excess amount of catchers; in fact, they have three. It would make a lot of sense for them to trade at least one of them for bullpen help. The Red Sox should trade C Blake Swihart to the Marlins for RHP Tanner Houck and CP Drew Steckenrider. Blake Swihart is the top catcher the Red Sox have offensively and has a lot of trade value due to the fact that he can play multiple positions. The Red Sox wouldn’t have that much trouble without him as they have one of the best offensive lineups in the MLB and could benefit from RHP Tanner Houck and CP Drew Steckenrider as they have a weak bullpen and still don’t have a lockdown closer. For the Marlins, C Blake Swihart would help fix their catching issues since C Jorge Alfaro has been dealing with injuries during spring training and the Marlins need a consistent catcher. This trade makes sense for both parties and would help the Red Sox get rid of an extra catcher while giving the Marlins a consistent one. Likelihood of happening (7/10)
Blue Jays: Trade 1B Justin Smoak to the Rays for SP Shane McClanahan
In the trade proposal above, the Blue Jays would be sending 1B Justin Smoak to the Tampa Bay Rays for SP Shane McClanahan. The Rays could use a proven every day 1B like Smoak since they don’t want to rely on a Ji-Man Choi/Yandy Diaz tandem throughout the whole 2019 season. In 2017, Smoak hit .270 with 38 HRs, and even in a down year like 2018, he still hit .242 with 25 HRs. Since Smoak is a free agent after this year and the Blue Jays aren’t competing yet, they should be looking to trade him before the deadline, because they may not be able to sign him back and get any value from him. Furthermore, The Blue Jays could use another pitching prospect because their rotation is pretty weak right now. Shane McClanahan is the Rays #9 prospect, and they already have elite pitching prospects like Brendan McKay and Brent Honeywell. According to Keith Law of ESPN, the Rays have the second-best farm system in baseball, so losing one SP prospect wouldn’t be a huge loss to their organization. Even though this is an interdivisional trade, both teams would benefit greatly from it and should ponder making it happen in 2019. Likelihood of happening (4/10)
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