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11 unheralded players who could be had at Trade Deadline
- Updated: July 19, 2016
Before I romanticize the concept of potential bargain buys in the trade market, I must first provide a public disclaimer that the discreet Trade Deadline deal doesn’t always work out. The Dodgers, as an example, grabbed Mat Latos instead of meeting the price tag for David Price or Cole Hamels last year and, well, let’s just say they would have been better off with Price or Hamels, OK?
But sometimes there is great value to be had out there. And in a 2016 market especially thin on starting pitching, it’s incumbent upon GMs to seek it out.
Peter Bourjos, Phillies
At the start of play on June 6, Bourjos was lugging around a .196/.227/.283 line. Since that time, he has an OPS over 1.000. Is that an arbitrary starting point? Absolutely. But raise your hand if you pegged Bourjos to have an OPS that high over any significant stretch of games.
Bourjos is 29, fleet of foot, a plus center fielder and a pending free agent. He’s not going to maintain his crazy pace at the plate of late, but you add the encouraging offensive uptick to what was already an athletic profile, and you’ve got a player who can round out a contending roster.
Some potential fits: Giants, Royals, Nationals, Indians, Cardinals, White Sox
Matt Moore, Rays
He has pedestrian numbers overall — a 4.33 ERA, 1.3 WHIP and 95 ERA+ in 19 starts after a 5.43 ERA in 12 starts last season — but a 2.51 ERA and .208/.271/.324 opponents’ slash over his last seven starts.
At 27 and just more than two years removed from Tommy John surgery, Moore seems to be settling down and settling in. His modest extension includes team options for 2017 ($7 million), 2018 ($9 million) and 2019 ($10 million), which means he’s extremely valuable to the small-budget Rays, who of course will set the asking price high.
Some potential fits: Rangers, Dodgers, Orioles, Royals, Marlins
Melvin Upton Jr. Padres
It’s hard to imagine the Padres moving him without eating at least some portion of the roughly $23 million still owed to Upton through the end of 2017, but at least a healthy Upton has played himself back into a usable piece. His offensive performance (106 OPS+) is just north of league average, he’s got 16 homers and 20 steals and his defensive performance is satisfactory in center and strong in left. At minimum, this would be a good fourth-outfield type on a contending club.
Some potential fits: Giants, Royals, Nationals, Indians, Cardinals, White Sox
Jeremy Hellickson, Phillies
The 2011 American League Rookie of the Year has been a back-of-the-rotation option battling assorted injuries in the time …
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