At 4 pm ET it seemed like it would be a dull trade deadline despite all of the expectations heading into it, but then the Houston Astros said “hold my beer,” literally, and made a flurry of huge moves that trickled out after the deadline, as did the Cubs and the Rays. All in all it was a hectic deadline, dating back to a few days earlier when Marcus Stroman was moved and then Tuesday night with the three-team deal between Cincinnati, Cleveland, and San Diego. Tons of major league talent will be the focus, and rightly so for the rest of the year, however there were some intriguing prospects moved in all of the deals that should also be discussed. So, without further ado, let’s see who went where and how they fit in.
Anthony Kay, LHP (NYM to TOR) – Included in the Marcus Stroman trade, along with the next guy in this piece, Kay was highlighted in the June 19th prospect report as a guy who was possibly a September call-up candidate for the Mets, which clearly won’t happen now. Kay has middle-of-the-rotation stuff in his arsenal with nice strikeout upside in his three-pitch mix including his low-to-mid-90s fastball and low-80s curveball. He has struggled in the Triple-A ranks at Syracuse before now moving down the road to Buffalo with Toronto, as he has a 6.61 ERA, 6.23 FIP, 7.47 K/9, 3.16 BB/9 and 2.01 HR/9 in 31.1 innings. The Blue Jays are in no rush to compete this year so expect Kay to finish the year at Triple-A Buffalo before he competes for a starting rotation spot next year in camp.
ETA: 2020
Simeon Woods-Richardson, RHP (NYM to TOR) – The Mets second-round pick in 2018 was also included in the Stroman package at just 18 years old. Woods-Richardson has a three-pitch mix with a running fastball that sits 95 mph, top-to-bottom sharp, biting, curveball that flashes plus at times, and a deceptive changeup that is a quality third offering. There isn’t much of a history here as he’s still at A-Ball in the South Atlantic league, but he does have a 97:17 K:BB ratio in 78.1innings with a 4.25 ERA (2.55 FIP) in 20 starts. There is a lot of promise here from the young righty but there are a few years of moving through the system that has to take place before he makes his way to the mound at the Rogers Centre.
ETA: 2022
Taylor Trammell, OF (CIN to SD) – As if the Padres needed another top-30 prospect in their system right? They got Trammell in the three-team deal that sent Bauer to Cincinnati and Yasiel Puig, Franmil Reyes, and Logan Allen to Cleveland. Trammell’s calling card is his speed (65-grade) while showing an intriguing mix of power and average to go along with it. The left-handed stroke is about as smooth and pure as you can get and he shows an advanced feel at the plate for the strike zone with 54 walks in 94 games at Double-A this year. He is batting .236/.349/.336 with six homers, 47 runs, 33 RBI, and 17 steals in those 94 games played as he’s getting used to higher-level pitching. In 2017, while at A-ball, he slashed .281/.368/.450 with 13 homers, 80 runs, 77 RBI, and 41 steals. He is still just 21 years old for the 2019 season and his patience at the plate and mature approach he shows, should blossom into him being above-average across the board and mixing in the double-plus speed to make a potent top-of-the-order bat for the Padres.
ETA: 2020
Seth Beer, 1B/OF (HOU to ARI) – Beer was taken in the first-round of the 2018 draft out of the University of Virginia as one of the more polarizing players in the draft. Since then though, he’s continued to hit as he’s made his way up to Double-A with a .299/.407/.543 slash line and 16 homers, 52 RBI and 40 runs in 63 games this year. He is your prototypical first base or outfield bat who hits for a solid average and has big-time power in his left-handed stroke. The defense is adequate to stick in either spot and the bat is a middle-of-the-order type piece when all is said and done. He didn’t have a clear path to playing time in Houston but now has a clear path in Arizona at either spot but more likely outfield as his former Wahoo teammate in Pavin Smith and Kevin Cron are at first.
ETA: 2020
J.B. Bukauskas, RHP (HOU to ARI) – The second of the top-two pitching prospects in the Astros system is a 6’0”, 195-pound right hander who is now on his way to the desert in Arizona. Bukauskas has been having a rough year at Double-A Corpus Christi over 85.2 innings with a 5.25 ERA (4.36 FIP) and 5.67 BB/9. He does have big-time strikeout stuff in his repertoire as he’s posted over double-digit K/9 rates for his entire pro career dating back to 2017. His slider is the best pitch with hard bite in the mid-80s and mid-90s fastball that has nice sink and run. The arsenal might not be playing right now but he does have the upside of a number-two starter, though he would do well to add a bit more weight and muscle to his frame for a bit more durability as he keeps moving up in the system.
ETA: 2020
Corbin Martin, RHP (HOU to ARI) – We got to see a taste of Martin in the majors this year before he was injured and his season ended with Tommy John surgery being required. He was very good at Triple-A this year before the call-up with 45:18 K:BB ratio in 37.1 innings and 3.13 ERA but was then lit up in the majors for Houston. Working with a four-pitch mix, the righty profiles as a middle-of-the-rotation arm when he’s fully healthy with a mid-90s heater with nice running action and a still improving mix of secondary stuff including his changeup. Control is the biggest thing for him to keep coming back from TJ surgery as he doesn’t have the best swing-and-miss stuff with the slider, curveball, and changeup. With the surgery having happened, it will delay his availability for the D-backs rotation obviously.
ETA: 2021
Kolby Allard, LHP (ATL to TEX) – In an under-the-radar deal between the Braves and Rangers the Braves gave up a former top-five prospect of theirs in Allard for Chris Martin, and no he’s not the frontman for Coldplay. Allard has had a rough go of it in Triple-A this year with a 4.17 ERA, 4.67 FIP and .279 BAA in 110 innings. The stuff relies on plus-control to play up because the velocity just isn’t great at 88-93 on the fastball and the change and curveball sitting lower than that. If the control isn’t there, the stuff just doesn’t miss bats well enough to be an impact starter. Allard is a number-four type starter which isn’t a bad return on a reliever who’s having a solid but not elite year.
Jesus Sanchez, OF (TB to MIA) – In a surprise move at the deadline, the Rays added some pitching help and that cost them one of their top prospects in Jesus Sanchez who ranks fourth in their system before the deal. Sanchez is heading just a bit further down the way in Florida to Miami where he immediately becomes one of their next big bats to come up along with the players they drafted this year in the first round. I did a write up of Sanchez a few weeks back as a guy that could get moved at the deadline and on the year he’s hitting .263/.323/.389 split between Double-A and Triple-A with nine homers, 54 RBI, 38 runs and five steals. The lefty possesses a sweet swing that fits well in the middle of the order and is a run-producer with some added speed attached. He will need to prove that he can hit the upper levels of pitching as he’s struggled in the International League and now gets to switch to the Pacific Coast League, but ultimately it's the average that needs to stick for him to see his full potential.
ETA: 2020
Jazz Chisholm, SS (ARI to MIA) – Chisholm was the top-prospect in the Diamondbacks system heading into the trade deadline and he was flipped for a pitching prospect that appears just below him in this piece. Chisholm is an intriguing shortstop prospect who has been rising through the ranks of not only the Arizona system, but also the various prospect rankings that are produced throughout the year. He possesses an interesting blend of power and speed that could have him being a 20-20 guy at short while playing great defense and showing an advanced approach at the plate. That doesn’t mean there aren’t question marks as he’s hitting just over .200 at Double-A Jackson this year with 18 homers and 13 steals while scoring 51 runs and driving in 44 in 89 games. In the era of big shortstops that we’re in now, Chisholm is a throwback at 5’11” and 165 pounds listed playing weight which does help with the speed in his game. The advanced approach has hit a snag this year too with 123 Ks in 89 games and just 44 walks, but that does give him an OBP that’s more than 100 points higher than his average. Miami believe he’s the shortstop of their future and that’s easy to see as he profiles with five above-average skills.
ETA: 2021
Zac Gallen, RHP (MIA to ARI) – Gallen was the prospect that was flipped for Chisholm and it gives the Diamondbacks a ready-made rotation piece for the backend or perhaps middle of the rotation. I did a deeper break down of him a few weeks ago and have actually touched on him twice thanks to his hot start at Triple-A and then as a potential trade chip. Overall, he is a high-strike out middle-of-the-rotation arm who has really taken a liking to the new ball this year and figured out how to make his breaking stuff move a remarkable amount. Gallen does take a hit for the ballpark he’ll be pitching in and the division he’ll be in now as well but his stuff is still good enough to get major leaguers out pretty regularly.
ETA: 2019
Alex Lange, RHP (CHC to DET) – Lange is the former first-round pick of the Cubs in 2017 and they paired him with Paul Richan to get Nick Castellanos as the clock ran down on the deadline. Both Lange and Richan grade out as back of the rotation type arms that use more competitive nature than pure stuff to get guys out. Lange has struggled this year between A-Advanced and Double-A with a 5.82 ERA, 79:45 K:BB ratio and .274 BAA in 86.2 innings with better numbers coming in Double-A Tennessee. At 23 with a low-90s fastball, curveball, and decent changeup and very little control, he’s a project for the Tigers to try and sort out. Richan was the second-round pick of the Cubs in 2018 and while he’s a back end type starter as well, it’s a different package he offers. His control is a plus tool for him and helps his stuff play up but it’s the velocity and lack of movement in the arsenal that keeps him more towards the latter spots in a rotation. He’s at High-A Myrtle Beach at the moment with a 3.97 ERA, 86:18 K:BB ratio and 1.23 WHIP in 93 innings this year and might slot in at Double-A for Detroit to start.
ETA: 2021/2022
Joey Wentz, LHP (ATL to DET) – Wentz was part of the package to land Shane Greene and ranked as the Braves number-seven prospect and was a guy that was speculated as one that could be on the move ahead of the deadline. The southpaw has a 4.72 ERA and 100:45 K:BB ratio in 103 innings at Double-A Mississippi this year in 20 starts as he still gets a feel for his three-pitch mix. The fastball sits 92-93 mph and plays up due to the command he has of the pitch and his nice run on it due to his 6’5” frame and the whip-type delivery he can generate. The curveball and changeup are the secondary offerings but grade out at above-average right now with flashes of plus each to match the fastball. There is nice shape to the curve but it could stand to have more bit to it to tighten it up and the changeup has nice fade to it as a change of pace offering. His arsenal fits with a mid-rotation spot and it adds to the nice depth the Tigers are building with the young arms in their system.
ETA: 2020
Jameson Hannah, OF (OAK to CIN) – Hannah and the A’s weren’t necessarily on the radar to make a move, but you can never count on Billy Beane and company at the deadline. The best trait for Hannah is his plus-speed that led him to be a second-round pick in 2018. In 2019, at high-A, has a .283/.341/.381 slash line with two homers, 48 runs, 31 RBI and six steals in 92 games and 414 at bats. The bat will play in the upper levels and majors but the power will always be the weak spot of his game as it’s below average and likely produces no more than 10 in a season. The speed though, once he really harnesses it, is good enough for 20-25 steals per season while hitting at the top of the order and drawing a healthy amount of walks. He’s another athlete in the Reds’ system that has intriguing upside for fantasy when he arrives at the majors in a couple of seasons.
ETA: 2021