5 controllable, under-the-radar relievers worth going after

If the Aroldis Chapman trade did anything, it proved once again that top late-inning relievers are worth so much more than we all think they ought to be. The return the Yankees got for the last two months of Chapman’s contract was borderline stunning, especially considering how much more they got than what they gave up for him in December. Remember, the Padres were universally hailed for what they received from the Red Sox for Craig Kimbrel, and how good the Phillies looked for extracting a huge price out of the Astros for Ken Giles, including Vince Velasquez.

The point is, good relievers cost a ton right now. Given the sticker shock that’s likely to come with the remaining top names such as Andrew Miller, Wade Davis and Mark Melancon, who may or may not even be available, any teams on the fringes of the playoff race or below would do well to push their best arms as hard as they can, hoping to cash in on what’s very clearly a seller’s market — even if it hurts them in the short term.

But while it’s fun to imagine the Dodgers seeing what insane prices they could get for Kenley Jansen or what would happen if the Orioles dangled Zach Britton, those probably aren’t realistic moves. Likewise, the Mariners could lose every game for the rest of the year and they still wouldn’t trade 22-year-old Edwin Diaz, who has 44 strikeouts in 21 2/3 innings and more than five years of low-cost team control remaining — and impending free agents such as Boone Logan, Jeanmar Gomez or Joe Smith are too-obvious trade candidates.

No, what we’re looking for here are under-the-radar relievers, with team control remaining, who may otherwise be held onto — except that thanks to the prices we’re seeing, teams could or should want to put out there. Here are five:

 Nate Jones, White Sox

The Sox insist they’re not giving up on 2016 yet, and perhaps they won’t, but at 48-50 and with seven teams ahead of them in the American League Wild Card race, it seems more likely than not. Last offseason, Chicago signed Jones to an extension that keeps him on the South Side through 2021 at a total of approximately $15 million, if all options are exercised. That’s a lot of team control to offer over one of baseball’s hardest throwers; Jones averages 97.4 mph on his fastball, even after 2014 Tommy John surgery.

Finally returning last summer after rehab, Jones has been quietly dominant ever since, striking out 76 in 64 innings and holding hitters to a .199/.259/.358 line around a 2.81 ERA, though you don’t hear about it that much since he’s not in the ninth. Put another way, you know who else has strikeout and walk numbers similar to Jones’ 30.3 percent whiff rate and 6.4 percent walk rate since his return? Britton, though of course he adds elite grounder skills.

The White Sox, assuming they don’t trade Chris Sale, still plan to contend in 2017 around a core of Sale, Jose Abreu, Adam Eaton and Jose Quintana. It’s not a bad start, but as …

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